Thursday, April 12, 2018

Lawsuit against "Mark Hunsaker" planned

When I advertised on YouTube a few days ago my planned third libel lawsuit against James Patrick Holding, some idiot posting under the name "Mark Hunsaker" committed libel himself by asserting as fact that my prior two lawsuits against Holding were frivolous, that I had abused the Court system, and was seeking a bloated amount of cash that was neither legally nor factually justified.

A google search indicated there are several Mark Hunsakers in the world, but only two who have any connection to Christianity.  One is a pastor of a Lutheran church in Branson Missouri.  The other has been posting under the Mark Hunsaker name for more than a decade, usually in forums discussing issues of Christianity. 

Since the Husaker from YouTube thought it better to play games, like the frightened barking child caught in the act that he is, rather than outrightly admit his true identity, I obtained the corporation documents for the Praise and Worship Lutheran Church where a "Mark Hunsaker" pastor works, googled the names therein and obtained the email addresses of most of the officers and board members, and emailed them, as well as their legal counsel, with the following, in the attempt to perform my due diligence as a libel Plaintiff, as required by law,  i.e., to uncover, to the best of my ability, the true identity of a person libeling me on the internet, before I file a John Doe subpoena and force Google or YouTube to reveal all ISP addresses and other information associated with that account, that leads to or is likely to lead to successfully unmasking the true identity of the specific Mark Hunsaker who posted those YouTube comments.

Lucky for me he cannot post on YouTube unless he first created an account that required some type of identifying information such as phone number.  Whoever that Hunsaker is who libeled me, church pastor or no, he IS going to be found out, so if he has a lot to lose, he can mitigate the storm headed his way by admitting guilt now, which will show he is capable of reform.  If he can only be unmasked the hard way, then the publicity about his initial attempt to hide and to threaten me with violence for forever mar his credibility.

One of two possible inferences can be rationally drawn from the fact that the YouTube Hunsaker threatened me with physical violence if i made good on my threat to find out his true identity:

a - he is a man with a lot to lose, and not just some idiot without a life talking shit on the internet.  that's consistent with a church pastor, even if not infallible proof.

b - he doesn't have much to lose, but doesn't like to be held accountable for postings on the internet he was hoping would never be successfully linked back to him in real life.  In that case, whoever that man really is, he can only ensure his credibility with others will progressively diminish if he refuses to cooperate and must be forced out of hiding.  And that's even worse if he is in fact some type of "Christian" since he would then have to go the rest of his life trying to convince other Christians that sometimes God wants Christians to dishonestly hide their guilt.  Maybe the lawsuit will turn him into a 5-Point Calvinist, who says God causes Christians to sin.

here's the email:
---begin email quote----------------------------------


On Thu, Apr 12, 2018 at 1:16 PM, Barry Jones <barryjoneswhat@gmail.com> wrote:

 25 "Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.
 26 "Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.  (Matt. 5:25-26 NAU)

 40 "If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.
 41 "Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. (Matt. 5:40-41 NAU)

To the officers and members of the board concerning the Praise and Worship Lutheran church of Branson, MO., as well as their legal counsel and others, if applicable:

Ron Musolino
Bernie Smith
Rev. Dr. Lee Hagan
Harley Schmitgen:
Shari Smith, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
 Vice President:  Stephen Lindwedel
Treasurer:  Kirk Manion
Linda Reinbold  --->cgrady5383@gmail.com
Ron Jett
Julie Leeth
Ron Musolino
My true name is (deleted).  I live at (deleted).I would hardly positively identify myself if this notice of intent to file suit was frivolous.  I am deadly serious. I have good probable cause to believe the Mark Hunsaker who recently libeled me on YouTube, is the same man as the Mark Hunsaker who pastors your Praise and Worship Lutheran church at 3158 State Hwy 265, Branson MO 65737.
Because I believe the Mark Hunsaker who libeled me on YouTube within the last few days is the same as your pastor of the same name in Branson, MO, who did so while acting within the course and scope of his position as employee of your corporation, if this comes to court, I'll be suing the corporation he works for, not himself personally, and where corporations are sued, nobody can represent it pro se, they are required to hire a an actual certified lawyer in good standing with the bar.   I wish to spare you from the need to hire a lawyer, so please read the following, carefully:

Please retain and prevent the destruction of any files or internet accounts or internet communications initiated by or received by your pastor Mark Hunsaker who works out of your church in Branson, MO. I have good probable cause to believe that
a) he is the Mark Hunsaker who libeled me in the last few days on YouTube, and
b) based on his threat to physically harm me should I pursue legal means of positively identifying him, he has every motive to delete evidence having a tendency to point to him as the guilty Defendant in this planned lawsuit.  If we end up in court and your pastor admits he "lost" any such evidence, that's called "spoliation of evidence" and he could end up enduring much legal trouble for it.

Why all the fuss?  Glad you asked:
After I posted comments on YouTube to the effect that I was planning a lawsuit against disgraced homosexual Christian apologist James Patrick Holding (himself irreparably guilty of ceaseless libel and slander), somebody using the name or pseudonym "Mark Hunsaker" replied there several times, with comments that constituted libel (i.e., the written form of defamation), saying things such as my prior lawsuits were frivolous and constituted an abuse of the court system, and that I was in fact only seeking a bloated chunk of money for damages that were neither factually nor legally justified.  Those comments can be found at

....but in case they conveniently get deleted, here's a copy and paste of what this "Mark Hunsaker" has said so far:
saved April 12, 2018
11:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time

begin quote-----------------
you may have heard about the lawsuit an atheist bible critic filed against a Christian apologist, for libel and defamation. That atheist was me, I'll be suing James Patrick Holding for a third time, see my request to him to preserve evidence at https://turchisrong.blogspot.com/2018/03/third-lawsuit-against-james-patrick.html

Third time IS not a charm Barry. If your previous 2 lawsuits failed, it probably is a good indicator that they were without merit. The more times you files suit is not a credit to your cause.

Mark, you apparently don't know jack shit about those two cases, nor the law relevant to their dismissal. There is no legal doctrine in modern jurisprudence that says the jurisdictional dismissal of prior lawsuits argues that the later lawsuits of similar content are probably lacking in merit. But religion makes people so scared of critical thinking that it makes then say stupid shit like you just did. If you gave one rat's ass about the actual truth, you'd be interested in whether my claims were actually meritorious, not what somebody else thought of the case. What, do you think judges are infallible and free from corruption? All they are is lawyers who got elected to the judgeship. They don't become honorable by obtaining that seat anymore than you become honorable by being promoted to assistant crew leader.

Barry, there is a legal term used for this sort of improper use of our legal system. It is called frivolous. Secondly, there IS a legal doctrine for what I am referring to. It is called a legal precedent. I could go on and on, and will, if you require, but please consult with, at least, a junior partner at a law firm before continuing to clog up our court system over your subjective hurt feelings. In addition, since our courts cannot restore your "reputation", I am sure it is NOT your "reputation" you seek to restore, but, in fact, some inordinate and bloated financial award which you don't deserve, to get over yourself. You don't get money, just because somebody offended you, or disagrees with you. If your previous 2 suits failed, the third likely will not succeed.

And you think you are spiritually mature enough to be "pastor" in Branson, Missouri? Yeah Right!

What....are you talking about? First of all, I have said nothing about religion, nor my beliefs. For you all you know, I could be an atheist. Looks like you are drawing some pretty quick conclusions there Barry. Secondly, where did you get the idea, that I am from Missouri, or wanted to be a pastor? Or were you talking to someone else?

You are hereby requested to preserve any and all internet-based communications you have posted, sent or received, including avoiding deleting the account or accounts that allow you to post comments on YouTube, including any communications you have with any third-parties about me, regardless of the medium by which those comments are communicated.

There are only two Mark Hunsakers that show up in a google search as having any interest or connection to Christianity. One is a pastor of a Lutheran church in Branson, MO., whose mannerisms in his videotaped sermons suggest a 12-year old trying to educate adults on what they already know, and the other is a man of the same name who goes around the internet posting comments about the bible, apologetics, and Lutheranism. I have good reason to draw the legal conclusion that your comments about me were genuinely and actionably libelous.

I'm going to file a John Doe Subpoena in a federal Missouri Court, and a judge will order YouTube and/or Google to turn over all ISP addresses and identifying information for your specific account, to narrow down to the state and hopefully city that you actually post from. We are going to find out, within the next two months, whether my quick conclusions were actually true or actually false. FUCK YOU.

 If you would like to mitigate the storm of successful attacks on your honesty and credibility that are now looming large (which can only spell disaster if you are indeed a "pastor"), you might wish to email me at barryjoneswhat@gmail.com, or contact me at my blog turchisrong, and maybe we can settle out of court. Otherwise, I will pursue the above-mentioned methods of unmasking your true identity, so I can then file the libel lawsuit in a court of proper jurisdiction. The more you continue toying with me, the more I pursue legal methods of uncovering your real identity. Do you wish to trifle, or get honest?

i think you are spoofing me. Thanks for the good laugh though. I am beginning to have doubts as to your mental stability. Btw, you don't have a clue what you are talking about legally. And you suck at research. Do anything like what you threaten and there might be much more than your alleged reputation that needs repair. Later.
------------------end quote--------------------
 ==============================================

 15 "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.
 16 "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED.
 17 "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
 (Matt. 18:15-17 NAU)
(by the way, you can tell that I employed the first part of Matthew 18 here.  I wasn't able to go to him privately because he refuses to identify himself sufficiently to enable that, so I warned him of the error of his way in the only forum I knew I could communicate with him [here, he sinned by violating Romans 13, by violating secular laws prohibiting libel, laws which are consistent with biblical injunctions against slander, and therefore secular laws that Christians are obligated to follow], and he did not listen.  The next step was taking a witness, and there were already witnesses there in that forum, and I otherwise wouldn't be able to get a witness to participate due to his refusal to identify himself more particularly so as to enable any such private meeting.  He still isn't listening, so I am properly employing the third step, and  "telling it to the church", or the portion of the church whose authority Hunsaker would more than likely acknowledge and submit to, if indeed it is the pastor from Branson MO who is the person libeling me.)
The problem is that according to Jesus, if telling it to the whole church does not get him to truthfully admit his fault, you don't have any other options...you are to view that person the way first-century Jews viewed heathens and tax-collectors...which means you cannot justify continuing to retain him as a pastor, if indeed it is found out that this pastor was the one who in fact libeled me on YouTube.

You will also notice that the Hunsaker who libeled me, denied that he is the pastor of the Branson, MO church, but did so without making the denial explicit.  But explicit denial is what one would expect if in fact he wasn't a pastor in Branson.

A google search returned several different men with this name, but only two of them are associated in any way with Christianity.  One is the Mark Hunsaker who pastors your church in Branson, MO.  The other is a man who has been going around on the internet for more than 10 years, posting under the name "Mark Hunsaker" and posting on issues of Christianity and Lutheranism. 
This, of course is not infallible proof that the person who libeled me on YouTube is the same as the man who pastors your Branson, MO. church.  But regardless, because somebody libeled me, I can, and will, file a lawsuit against that man and subsequently file a "John Doe" subpoena, forcing YouTube and/or Google to reveal all the ISP and other identifying information they have based on the places from which he typically signs in, and whatever he might say about himself and his contact information in his profiles.
And unfortunately for that person, you cannot post on YouTube unless you have previously done what Google or others asked, and provided a phone number and other positively identifying information to set up such account.  Unless the person who libeled me is an extremely clever hacker who is a pro at hiding his internet tracks, that man's true identity is going to be unmasked one way or the other, so whoever the guilty party actually is, they are a fool if they think they can forever mask their guilt with their games and denials.

That this Mark Hunsaker who libeled me seems to think he has much to lose, may be inferred from his quite unnecessary implied threat of physically harming me:

"Do anything like what you threaten and there might be much more than your alleged reputation that needs repair."

Therefore, instead of blindly assuming your beloved pastor would never stoop this low, you should play it safe and not reveal my real-world contact info to him.  I would ask that you first question him about the incident and determine for yourself whether his denying guilt rings true.
If your pastor is guilty as charged, he has a lot to lose given what he foolishly chose to post already (i.e, physical threat to me and mocking denial that he is a pastor in Branson). You Lutherans probably couldn't chalk this up to typical sin, but would make a finding that such a mentality exhibits a severe spiritual immaturity that is disqualified from being any kind of leader or teacher of other Christians.  The Hunsaker who libeled me clearly fails some of the criteria for leaders and teachers as mandated in 1st Timothy 3, whether he is or isn't the pastor from Branson.

Please tell your pastor that because I am going to file a John Doe subpoena in court and force YouTube or whoever to reveal all of the ISP and other identifying information for the person who posted those comments, he can only hurt his credibility and ruin his career as a pastor if

a) he is the one who posted, and
b) he continues to deny his responsibility for the postings.

I will not stop seeking that man's true identity until a court of law tells me to.

If your pastor is responsible, the best thing he can do is honestly admit it, repent, and follow Jesus' advice, supra, to agree to reasonable settlement ($5,000), despite my good faith estimate that my damages are at or exceed the $75,000 minimum federal diversity jurisdictional threshold. 
If you didn't know that anonymous internet posters can be unmasked against their wishes and sued for the libelous comments they never thought they would be connected to in real life, here's an example of a John Doe subpoena which forced disclosure of the true identities of the anonymous people who were formerly only known by their internet pseudonyms:

In determining whether there is good cause to allow expedited discovery to identify anonymous internet users named as doe defendants, courts consider whether:
(1) the plaintiff can identify the missing party with sufficient specificity such that the Court can determine that defendant is a real person or entity who could be sued in federal court;
(2) the plaintiff has identified all previous steps taken to locate the elusive defendant;
(3) the plaintiffs suit against defendant could withstand a motion to dismiss; and
(4) the plaintiff has demonstrated that there is a reasonable likelihood of being able to identify the defendant through discovery such that service of process would be possible.


Please ask your pastor directly "did you, at any time in April 2018, assert in any posting to YouTube that somebody else's lawsuit was frivolous?"

And if your church seriously believes in "accountability" and if your pastor Hunsaker has nothing to hide by being innocent even in his private internet communications (which you correctly assume are in harmony with Christian ethics, given that you hired him as a pastor and therefore assume his private life coheres with Lutheran ethics just as much as his public life does) then please ask him to turn over to you the passwords to all of his internet accounts so you can do your own check of where he's been and what he's been saying.  Also ask him whether he has deleted any of his internet-based accounts within the last 30 days.  If he confesses to being guilty as charged, none of us need to endure the legal expenses of litigation as I've otherwise mentioned herein.

 21 Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. (2 Cor. 8:21 KJV)
This message is sent in good faith.  I am well aware of Missouri case law on libel, and I will be able to meet every single one of its elements for libel, should this end up in court and your pastor be identified as the one who libeled me.
Once again, given this Hunsaker's implied threat of physical violence, please do not reveal to him my real name or other real-world contact information beyond barryjoneswhat@gmail.com, and my blog turchisrong.  One thing we can know for certain, there is somebody named Mark Hunsaker in the world who wants to be viewed as a spiritual authority in Christianity, but who is disqualified from any such position due to his inability to be honest and eager willingness to slander others contrary to every bible verse mentioning slander.  That person may or may not be your pastor in Branson, we'll soon be finding out for sure. 

Sincerely,

(name deleted)
---end of quoted email------------------------------------
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 ---- If you are reading this and you have any information indicating, or likely to lead to, the real-life identity of the "Mark Hunsaker" who made the above-quoted comments on YouTube, please contact me by reply to one of my posts here, or by email to barryjoneswhat@gmail.com.  If you want to help but fear involvement, you can set up a free email account at yandex or at any of the "disposable temporary email" services, without having to provide any telephone number or other privacy invading information, and contact me that way.

I'm actually hoping this Mark Hunsaker isn't the pastor of the same name in Missouri.  Missouri's laws on libel are too conservative for reality.

 Update:  April 12, 2018

here is the email I recently sent to the specific Mark Hunsaker who pastors the church in Branson, Missouri:

begin quote-------------------------


On Thu, Apr 12, 2018 at 2:27 PM, Barry Jones <barryjoneswhat@gmail.com> wrote:

Mr. Hunsaker,

Please retain and do not destroy or delete, or allow anybody else to destroy or delete any computer or internet communications you have sent or received within the last 30 days, including but not limited to internet accounts that allow you to post comments to YouTube, as I am preparing to file a libel lawsuit against a man with your name, and I'm still in the process of unmasking his true identity.  If you have already so destroyed or deleted, please make an effort to recover what was destroyed or deleted, and document your efforts, explaining why any such effort was unsuccessful.
Somebody using the name "Mark Hunsaker" libeled me on YouTube in the last couple of days by asserting as fact that my prior libel lawsuits against James Patrick Holding were frivolous, an abuse of the court system, and that I was seeking damages that were neither legally nor factually justified.
And you cannot blame me for being suspicious that among the many different "Mark Hunsakers" returned in a google search, two them just happen to focus specifically on Lutheranism and Lutheranist perspectives.  Yet despite this coincidence, I do not automatically conclude they are one and the same person.  Hence, my efforts to further investigate.

I currently don't know whether you are that specific Mark Hunsaker, but regardless, i cross-posted to my blog a full copy of the email I sent a few minutes ago to all of the officers and board members and other people associated with the Praise and Worship Lutheran church that you pastor:

Ron Musolino
Bernie Smith
Rev. Dr. Lee Hagan
Harley Schmitgen:
Shari Smith, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
 Vice President:  Stephen Lindwedel
Treasurer:  Kirk Manion
Linda Reinbold  --->cgrady5383@gmail.com
Ron Jett
Julie Leeth
Ron Musolino
I'd like to attempt settlement.  $5,000 will cause me to stop investigating and drop the entire matter without further question.

Otherwise, because I believe Hunsaker libeled me while acting in the course and scope of his duties as employee of the corporation, I will be naming the corporation as the Defendant, and that means it is mandatory that they hire a lawyer, and that means one year's worth of pre-trial motions back and forth, and every hour your lawyer spends responding to my stuff, he gets his fee, and corporate lawyers usually charge $350 per hour.  Most people think $5,000 in settlement is cheaper than $10,000 in lawyer fees.

If you aren't that specific Hunsaker, you have nothing to worry about; none of the facts I will be uncovering in future litigation will be pointing toward you as the guilty party.  But if you are, you can avoid a rather expensive and embarrassing future impeachment of your credibility (perhaps enough to motivate the board of directors to think you are spiritually immature and thus biblically disqualified from holding any teaching position, i.e., losing your job) by being honest here and now, that is, BEFORE I unmask that man's true identity the hard way through a John Doe subpoena.
The libelous YouTube comments are found here:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJFig3n1N9s
Here's a copy and paste of the comments in which the libels were posted:


you may have heard about the lawsuit an atheist bible critic filed against a Christian apologist, for libel and defamation. That atheist was me, I'll be suing James Patrick Holding for a third time, see my request to him to preserve evidence at https://turchisrong.blogspot.com/2018/03/third-lawsuit-against-james-patrick.html



Third time IS not a charm Barry. If your previous 2 lawsuits failed, it probably is a good indicator that they were without merit. The more times you files suit is not a credit to your cause.

Mark, you apparently don't know jack shit about those two cases, nor the law relevant to their dismissal. There is no legal doctrine in modern jurisprudence that says the jurisdictional dismissal of prior lawsuits argues that the later lawsuits of similar content are probably lacking in merit. But religion makes people so scared of critical thinking that it makes then say stupid shit like you just did. If you gave one rat's ass about the actual truth, you'd be interested in whether my claims were actually meritorious, not what somebody else thought of the case. What, do you think judges are infallible and free from corruption? All they are is lawyers who got elected to the judgeship. They don't become honorable by obtaining that seat anymore than you become honorable by being promoted to assistant crew leader.

Barry, there is a legal term used for this sort of improper use of our legal system. It is called frivolous. Secondly, there IS a legal doctrine for what I am referring to. It is called a legal precedent. I could go on and on, and will, if you require, but please consult with, at least, a junior partner at a law firm before continuing to clog up our court system over your subjective hurt feelings. In addition, since our courts cannot restore your "reputation", I am sure it is NOT your "reputation" you seek to restore, but, in fact, some inordinate and bloated financial award which you don't deserve, to get over yourself. You don't get money, just because somebody offended you, or disagrees with you. If your previous 2 suits failed, the third likely will not succeed.

And you think you are spiritually mature enough to be "pastor" in Branson, Missouri? Yeah Right!

What....are you talking about? First of all, I have said nothing about religion, nor my beliefs. For you all you know, I could be an atheist. Looks like you are drawing some pretty quick conclusions there Barry. Secondly, where did you get the idea, that I am from Missouri, or wanted to be a pastor? Or were you talking to someone else?

You are hereby requested to preserve any and all internet-based communications you have posted, sent or received, including avoiding deleting the account or accounts that allow you to post comments on YouTube, including any communications you have with any third-parties about me, regardless of the medium by which those comments are communicated. There are only two Mark Hunsakers that show up in a google search as having any interest or connection to Christianity. One is a pastor of a Lutheran church in Branson, MO., whose mannerisms in his videotaped sermons suggest a 12-year old trying to educate adults on what they already know, and the other is a man of the same name who goes around the internet posting comments about the bible, apologetics, and Lutheranism. I have good reason to draw the legal conclusion that your comments about me were genuinely and actionably libelous. I'm going to file a John Doe Subpoena in a federal Missouri Court, and a judge will order YouTube and/or Google to turn over all ISP addresses and identifying information for your specific account, to narrow down to the state and hopefully city that you actually post from. We are going to find out, within the next two months, whether my quick conclusions were actually true or actually false. FUCK YOU. If you would like to mitigate the storm of successful attacks on your honesty and credibility that are now looming large (which can only spell disaster if you are indeed a "pastor", you might wish to email me at barryjoneswhat@gmail.com, or contact me at my blog turchisrong, and maybe we can settle out of court. Otherwise, I will pursue the above-mentioned methods of unmasking your true identity, so I can then file the libel lawsuit in a court of proper jurisdiction. The more you continue toying with me, the more I pursue legal methods of uncovering your real identity. Do you wish to trifle, or get honest?

i think you are spoofing me. Thanks for the good laugh though. I am beginning to have doubts as to your mental stability. Btw, you don't have a clue what you are talking about legally. And you suck at research. Do anything like what you threaten and there might be much more than your alleged reputation that needs repair. Later.

==================End of quoted commentary
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Are you the same Mark Hunsaker who commented on YouTube about my prior lawsuits, as indicated above,  yes or no? 

A true Christian would both answer and answer honestly.
It is not consistent with Jesus to be guilty of a civil wrong that also constitutes a biblical wrong (slander) and when asked for an accounting, to just clam up, refuse to cooperate, and hope your guilt never becomes publicly exposed.  See Matthew 5:25, 40.

Guilty people are constantly plagued with a fact that is impossible to controvert:  People who are actually innocent, usually DO cooperate in the effort to find the truth. 

Since you are a pastor, whom we must presume has a private life that is just as in harmony with NT ethics as his public life, you don't, in fact, have any private internet communications that you would wish to hide from the officers and board of directors of the Praise and Worship Lutheran Church corporation, do you?
There is nothing in your private internet life that is inconsistent with NT ethics, is there?

Thank you for your time.


Barry Jones

---------end of quoted email--------------------

Update April 12, 2018

Here is the message I sent a few minutes ago through the "contact us" page at pastor Mark Branson's church website http://branson.church/contact/
--------begin quote------------- 

There is a "Mark Hunsaker" on YouTube who has libeled me and will thus be sued.

I suspect, but cannot at present prove, that this man is the same as your pastor.  I have sent an email to your board of directors and officers, this can also be read
at my blog, https://turchisrong.blogspot.com/2018/04/lawsuit-against-mark-hunsaker-planned.html

If you have any information that would tend to support or refute the theory that your pastor is the specific Mark Hunsaker who libeled me on youtube, please reply by email with that info.

I am required by law to engage in a diligent effort to unmask the true identity of an anonymous Defendant hiding under a pseudonym, before a Court will issue a John Doe subpoena forcing Google and YouTube to reveal the poster's true identity and originating ISP for his posts.

Sincerely,
Barry Jones

 -------end quote---------------------------


Update: April 12, 2018

The Mark Hunsaker who is pastor of the Lutheran Church in Branson, Missouri, replied to me as follows:
On Thu, Apr 12, 2018 at 2:45 PM, Mark Hunsaker <mark@branson.church> wrote:
Greetings.

This email arrived in my inbox moments ago. It contains allegations that do not pertain to me nor any of my activities online. Simply put, you have the wrong person.

My online accounts for which I utilize on YouTube are at the below links. You will note that these are not the account which engaged you on the Frank Turek video to which you linked.


I certainly hate to hear that anyone has treated you poorly. I can assure you I would never do anything like this. I would kindly ask that you remove mention of me and Praise & Worship Lutheran Church from your online postings.

Thank you,
Mark

Mark Hunsaker
Pastor | Praise & Worship
Branson, MO

I replied as follows:
On Thu, Apr 12, 2018 at 3:56 PM, Barry Jones <barryjoneswhat@gmail.com> wrote:
Pastor Hunsaker,
I appreciate your speedy response.  But because the Courts require me to make my own diligent effort to unmask the otherwise anonymous "Mark Hunsaker" before they will issue a John Doe subpoena, I judge that leaving my online posts the way they are will increase the likelihood that somebody who is able to identify the actually guilty party, will see those posts and respond with the necessary information...and therefore increase the likelihood that the court will find my efforts to qualify as "diligent". 

I do not believe a court would find I made a diligent effort if I suddenly took down all posts where I named you all because you responded and denied guilt.  Those posts haven't even been up for more than two days.
For what it is worth, I am sorry that you have the same name as somebody who libeled me.
For now, the fact that you deny guilt tells me that you have no problem with Google or YouTube responding to a subpoena and revealing all information they have on the city and state of the originating IP address associated with your YouTube or other posts, and any other information likely to show from what point in the world your online posts are made.  While I don't need your permission to obtain such an order in Court, I'll do you the courtesy of letting you know that I am pursuing such an order/subpoena.
You could help the cause of truth by going to the YouTube video where those libelous comments are, and clarify that you, pastor of the Lutheran church, are not the same Mark Hunsaker who has previously responded to me there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJFig3n1N9s
I'm sure that as a Christian, you have no problems making such a public disclaimer for the cause of truth.
Once again, please do not erase, destroy or delete any computer, computer files, electronic files, internet accounts or evidence of online posting activity that those accounts might contain.  If you must delete anything, first make and retain a copy of it.

Thank you,
Barry Jones





























Monday, April 9, 2018

Yes, there is evidence for Easter. There's also "evidence" that Bigfoot eludes capture by switching dimensions

This is my reply to an article by S. Joshua Swamidass, entitled
 

Science is full of trust-like faith. We believe grand, counterintuitive things because we trust the accounts of trustworthy sources.
But unlike religious faith, the "scientific" things are empirically demonstrable.  That doesn't mean that every theory purporting to be "scientific" is empirically demonstrable.  Dark Mater/Dark Energy are foolish concepts and "discovered" for no other reason than the explain why the universe doesn't appear to have resulted from a "big bang".
Mass is energy.
That is true.  Energy and Matter are just different ways of expressing the same thing. There is no such thing as energy in the absence of matter, or matter in the absence of energy.
Time slows with gravity and acceleration. The earth…
 Eistein's theory of relativity is less empirically demonstrable than the existence of trees, and otherwise is hardly relevant to the issue of Jesus' resurrection.
Science is full of trust-like faith. We believe grand, counterintuitive things because we trust the accounts of trustworthy sources.
And many times people are idiots for setting forth as "scientific" certain theories utterly lacking in empirical demonstration, such as dark matter/dark energy.  I don't "trust as true" anything that is not empirically demonstrable.  Now rack your brain trying to think of "truths" that aren't empirically demonstrable, but which are "obviously" true anyway.  YOu should start by saying "you can't even prove your own existence!", so those watching the discussion can recognize the stupid trifling sophistry you are willing to engage in just so you don't have to admit that Jesus' resurrection is lacking in evidence.
Mass is energy. Time slows with gravity and acceleration. The earth moves around the sun at 67,000 miles per hour. Two black holes merged 1.3 billion years ago, sending gravitational waves through space that arrived last year at LIGO. In principle, this is all reproducible, but just in principle. If we personally verified and reproduced every experiment ourselves, science would grind to a complete halt. Yes, we emphasize evidence. But we usually trust the scientific consensus.
But only tentatively.  I don't see a reason to doubt the speed of earth's revolving around the sun...but at the same time, I wouldn't bet my life that this scientific statement is necessarily the truth.

And again, all of the issues you raise are matters that were capable of at least some degree of empirical observation that didn't require assessing witness credibility.  They are thus not analogous to Jesus' resurrection, which you don't demonstrate unless you find in favor of the credibility of the alleged witnesses.  Figuring out how fast the earth revolves around the sun doesn't require the investigator to engage in the nearly frivolous enterprise of trying to establish the identity and credibility of alleged authors from 2,000 years ago.
Yes, we are skeptical and regularly challenge accepted theories. But we usually trust other scientists’ reports of what they have seen.
And we are stupid to do so unless we see an empirical basis for those modified theories, a basis that doesn't require us to make a judgment call about the scientist's credibility or lack thereof.  The scientific consensus that Jupiter exists does not depend on any one scientist's credibility, and it is too absurd to believe the consensus is the result of conspiracy.  So my trust in the scientific consensus that Jupiter exists, has more empirical warrant than does somebody else's "trust" that "Matthew" was telling the truth in saying Jesus rose from the dead (Matthew 28).
I am a scientist. Still, on Easter, I celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead about 2,000 years ago.
And there are also scientists who graduated from Brigham Young University...who despite their academic credentials, still put full faith and trust in the accuracy and historicity of one of the biggest confirmed religious frauds known to man, the Book of Mormon. So I fail to see how "I'm a smart guy over in this area" is supposed to have relevance to "I also put trust in certain religious claims".  Otherwise, atheism should be considered true, because many are scientists are academics themselves.  My advice is to avoid trying to connect "I'm a smarter-than-average person" with "therefore the religious views I've chosen to put faith are, are more than likely true".
This event, in first-century Palestine, is the cornerstone of everything.
No, there is a possibility that Christians discount but which remains a possibility nonetheles:  that Jesus was the true Son of God, but fame went to his head, he ended up displeasing God, and so while much of his teaching is from 'God', he did not rise from the dead.  That couldn't be the case if Jesus himself is God, second person of the Trinity, of course, but plenty of ancient Christians believed that Jesus was just a normal human being whom God specially selected to BECOME the Messiah.  That's called adoptionism, and the idea that Jesus didn't become God's son until his baptism is attested to by the phrase "this day have I begotten thee" which is an early and widespread textual variant for Luke 3:22.  Metzger doesn't do a very good job trying to characterize that variant as secondary, but admits it is the Western reading prevalent in the first 3 centuries:
The Western reading, “This day I have begotten thee,” which was widely current during the first three centuries, appears to be secondary, derived from Ps 2.7. The use of the third person (“This is…in whom …”) in a few witnesses is an obvious assimilation to the Matthean form of the saying (Mt 3.17). (Textual Commentary, 4th rev. ed. 2002, p. 112-113)
here's a blog that discusses the introductory issues.  Swamadiss continues:
In the same way that trust-like faith in science is connected to evidence, so is the faith I have in the Resurrection.
But not empirically demonstrable evidence.  To trust that somebody did something 2,000 years ago requires a finding that the source, one or more persons who wrote about it, are trustworthy.   We don't need to "trust" scientists in that sense when we adopt their views on most things today, unless of course we water down "scientific" so that it can even refer to claims for which there is no evidence whatsoever...like Dark Matter.
What is the evidence from which grew my trust? A brief and incomplete outline is included here.[1] This evidence is not an answer, but it raises the question. All we need is curiosity.

1. Without the physical Resurrection, two thousand years of history are left begging for explanation, like a movie missing a key scene.
The best explanation is that the resurrection of Jesus was mere legendary embellishment over time.  If two facets of Christian scholarly consensus are true (i.e., Mark is the earliest gospel, and he didn't intend to write anything after 16:8), then the earliest form of the gospel did not contain resurrection appearance narratives.  No, you cannot speculate that maybe Mark "chose to exclude" these while yet believing such stories were true.  In light of how strongly these support Mark's goal of showing Jesus to be the divine son of God, and in light of your own admission that Jesus' resurrection is the most important of all Christian events, it is highly unlikely that Mark believed the resurrection appearance narrative stories to be true but yet "chose to exclude" them.  You lose your religion where you lose the historicity.  Historicity turns on how probable one's explanatory theory is.
No other event in all recorded history has reached so far across national, ethnic, religious, linguistic, cultural, political, and geographic borders.
You have no reason to appeal to the popularity of the resurrection belief in the last 2,000 years, except because you are trying to argue from popularity to truth.  That's called the ad populum fallacy.
The message spread with unreasonable success across the world.
So did the popularity of heretics like Marcion.No doubt because most people back then simply trusted what a religious leader said, without caring to, or being able to, seriously check on the veracity of his claims.  The fact that the physical resurrection of Jesus is the form of Christianity that became most popular, does not testify to it's truth, otherwise, the fact that the false religion of Marcion and other forms of Christian Gnosticism grew by leaps and bounds to the point of being perceived by Irenaeus and other early fathers as a legitimate dangerous threat to the church, should be considered when assessing how true they were...which is, of course, stupid.
During just the first few centuries, it spread without political or military power,
Any religious group that caters to the needs of the poor and illiterate, would likely spread without political or military power. 
prevailing against the ruthless efforts of dedicated, organized and violent opposition.
The political opposition to pre-4th century Christianity would also have been against all its forms, such as Marcionism.  It isn't like it was only the bodily resurrected/Trinity/JesusIsGodAndWasARealFleshAndBloodMan version of Christianity that was perceived to be a threat. That is, your logic suggests that Marcionism, by growing in popularity despite political opposition, was surely the truth.
How did a small band of disempowered Jews in an occupied and insignificant territory of ancient Rome accomplish this unequaled act?
They didn't, their gullible followers decided to make more of it than it really was.  For example, Benny Hinn is not responsible for his own popularity and success, its actually the dumb fucks who find him to be greater than he really is, who are responsible for his popularity.
[2] What happened so many years ago that reframed all human history?
2. With dates established by radiometric analysis, prophecies from centuries before Jesus’ birth predict his life, death, and resurrection.
Wrong, NOTHING in the OT predicted anything about Jesus.   Would you like to give it a try?  What, maybe Daniel 9 contains an "amazingly accurate prediction" of Jesus?   Jesus is the best explanation for the "Suffering Servant" in Isaiah 53?  Good luck.

One thing you won't be doing is pretending that you can demonstrate that the OT predicted Jesus' resurrection...despite your own belief that the resurrection was the highlight of Jesus' messianic purpose.
[3] The great scientist Blaise Pascal identifies this as the “tangible proof” for people who want evidence that God exists. These prophecies include specific details that Jesus and His followers could not control. For example, before the Romans invented crucifixion, Psalms 22:16 described the piercing of Jesus’ hands and feet.

1 For the choir director; upon Aijeleth Hashshahar. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.
 2 O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but I have no rest.
 3 Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
 4 In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You delivered them.
 5 To You they cried out and were delivered; In You they trusted and were not disappointed.
 6 But I am a worm and not a man, A reproach of men and despised by the people.
 7 All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying,
 8 "Commit yourself to the LORD; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him."
 9 Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb; You made me trust when upon my mother's breasts.
 10 Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother's womb.
 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near; For there is none to help.
 12 Many bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
 13 They open wide their mouth at me, As a ravening and a roaring lion.
 14 I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me.
 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And my tongue cleaves to my jaws; And You lay me in the dust of death.
 16 For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet.
 17 I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me;
 18 They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.
 19 But You, O LORD, be not far off; O You my help, hasten to my assistance.
 20 Deliver my soul from the sword, My only life from the power of the dog.
 21 Save me from the lion's mouth; From the horns of the wild oxen You answer me.
 22 I will tell of Your name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
 23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him; All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel.
 24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from him; But when he cried to Him for help, He heard.
 25 From You comes my praise in the great assembly; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him.
 26 The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever!
 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations will worship before You.
 28 For the kingdom is the LORD'S And He rules over the nations.
 29 All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep his soul alive.
 30 Posterity will serve Him; It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation.
 31 They will come and will declare His righteousness To a people who will be born, that He has performed it.
 (Ps. 22:1-30 NAU)

 An examination of the original context of Psalm 22 indicates is says things totally inconsistent with a "Christian' view of Jesus:

the speaker complains that God doesn't answer his cries (v. 2) despite the fact that theologically, the Father and Son have exactly the same will

the speaker metaphorically characterizes himself as "a worm and not a man" (v. 6), when in fact theologically Jesus is the ultimate Man, and as such, not only do we never find him talking shit about himself like this in the gospels, it is doubtful, on theological grounds, that Jesus would speak this way about himself. Would God, second person of the Trinity, describe himself as a worm?

the speaker says of God "you have been my God from my mother's womb", and in context, the author was the sinner David, who thus meant it in the sense of himself being a sinner who worships God.

The speakers prays for God to deliver him from the "sword", and again states his is troubled by dogs (v. 20).  Conservative Christians, with their bullshit high Christology, do not believe Jesus would ever seriously ask the Father to be spared from death the way David was requesting in this Psalm.

The speaker prays to be delivered from the metaphorical lion's mouth (v. 21), and of course, to be bitten by a lion is to be pierced. And since the "lion" that does the piercing is metaphorical in this context, so is the piercing effect mentioned in the immediately previous context of v. 16.   Again, the sense of "piece" that is meant in context, is clear...and it's manifestly not the "drove nails into his hands and feet" stuff.

Even Christian scholarly works admit that the Christian sense stems solely from the Lxx, the original Hebrew did not support it, so there is the additional problem of why the Greek is imparting more Christian meaning to the text than was originally present:

In Psalm 22:16 (21:17 LXX) we read: “they pierced my hands and feet.” It is true that the reading of the (possibly corrupt) MT would not have suggested this correspondence (“as a lion my hands and feet”), but elsewhere in the passion story references to Psalm 22 employ the Greek version. If the passion narrative depended heavily on the creative role of the OT, we would have expected “passion prophecy” to have rendered this connection explicit.
Green, J. B., McKnight, S., & Marshall, I. H. (1992). Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (Page 603). Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.
Finally, the sense of "pieced my hands" isn't meant literally by the Psalmist, for it is no less metaphorical than the the human enemies he characterizes as lions, bulls and dogs. So now we have the problem of the Christian interpretation taking what was originally mere metaphor, and insisting it was literal...all because they need to have their OT "predict" Jesus with "amazing accuracy".  Sorry, I sleep well at night, not worrying in the least whether Christianity has the least substance to it.
Isaiah 53 is a particularly important prophecy that lays out the story of Jesus and the meaning of the Resurrection (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). Is this evidence of an Intelligence outside our time confirming Jesus’ authority?
 No, the suffering servant in Isaiah 53 is spoken of by the 7th century b.c. Isaiah in past tense terms, and only Christians inist that using the past tense to predict the future is "reasonable".  Furthermore,

the suffering servant in Isaiah 53 "opened not his mouth".  Well, did Jesus open his mouth during his time of affliction and oppression? Yes, read John 18:33 ff.  Finally, even Christian commentators admit this exactly how to interpret Isaiah 53 has produced a storm of scholarly controversy ever since Christians began using it, and it doesn't make good sense to use a biblical matter embroiled in scholarly controversy to "prove" something, indeed, the commentary sets out to show fulfillment of the passage by servants/sufferers who lived hundreds of years before Jesus, a thing a Christian commentary would never do if Jesus were the "obvious" fulfillment of the passage:

The bibliography on this topic is enormous, indicating the great interest in the subject and the lack of agreement on it. The interpretation of these passages and the discussion of identification (who is the sufferer?) have continued at least from the first century (Acts 8:34) until now...This commentary will show that “the sufferer passages” are distinct from “the servant passages” sufferer and the servant are not the same person and that the in the Vision. Israel and the Persian emperor (Cyrus or Darius) are called “the anointed” or “the servant of Yahweh” (See Excursus: Identifying the “Servant of Yahweh”). But the sufferer in 50:4–9 and the dead sufferer in chap. 53 is more likely to be a leader in Jerusalem (perhaps Zerubbabel) who has been executed before the arrival of authorities sent by Darius.
Watts, J. D. W. (2002). Vol. 25: Word Biblical Commentary : Isaiah 34-66. Word Biblical Commentary (Page 227). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.

Swamidass continues:
3. Jesus was a real person in history who died. Several manuscripts from multiple sources, including Jewish historians, describe a man named Jesus who lived and was executed.
You gain nothing by noting that Jesus was real.
[4] Specific details reported about His execution confirm.“Blood and water” spilled from a spear wound in His side. He really died and was not merely unconscious.[5]
Never mind that conservative Christian scholars like Craig Evans, by denying that Jesus ever actually mouthed many statements attributed to him in the gospel of John, therefore views the gospel of John as not necessarily setting forth actual history, but theological interpretation.  
4. The early accounts of the Resurrection and prophecies predicting it were reliably transmitted through history.
Which is irrelevant to the Christian scholarly consensus that mark was the earliest gospel, and that Mark didn't write anything after verse 8, necessarily implying that the earliest gospel author either did not know about, or did not trust in the reliability of, any resurrection appearance narrative.  
As of 2014, more than 66,000 early manuscripts are known, orders of magnitude more than other ancient texts. Many are carbon dated to before Jesus’ time on earth and the first few centuries after. We see accounts nearly unaltered in the earliest manuscripts.[6] A pattern of consistency emerges. There are variations in the manuscripts, but nothing invalidates the reliability of the Resurrection accounts.
Except Mark's screaming silence.  Apparently, the original gospel story was merely that the women found out from some anonymous man or angel that Jesus rose from the dead...and that's all. the original gospel story did not contain resurrection appearance narratives. And if Mark is the earliest of the gospels, then the later gospels having such narratives points toward typically expected legendary development, by which stories increase in detail and drama over time with each retelling.  No wonder some dumb ass Christians have "suddenly discovered" that the Christian scholar consensus is wrong, and that Matthew, with his resurrection narrative, was the earliest of the gospels.
5. Accounts of the Resurrection include inconvenient and unflattering details,
forgers can make up embarrassing details for the purpose of increasing the drama of the narrative or the lesson learned at the end, therefore the "criteria of embarrassment" is of limited utility at best.
that make most sense as attempts to reliably record what had happened, free from embellishment.
That Matthew and Luke embellish, modify and change Mark, is accepted by even "inerrantist" Christian scholars, who also admit they changed his text because they thought Mark's wording would support unorthodox theology:
Mark 6:5 This statement about Jesus’ inability to do something is one of the most striking instances of Mark’s boldness and candor. It is omitted by Luke 4:16–30 and toned down by Matt 13:58. The statement should not trouble contemporary Christians. God and his Son could do anything, but they have chosen to limit themselves in accordance to human response.
Brooks, J. A. (2001, c1991). Vol. 23: Mark (electronic e.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Page 100). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
 But if Mark's statement should not trouble contemporary Christians (i.e., Mark's wording is not reasonably susceptible to supporting low Christology), then what motiviated Luke to omit it and Matthew to "tone it down"?
 Mark 4:38 Not a few have compared the sleeping of Jesus and Jonah. It is, however, a mere coincidence and in no way implies that the story is modeled upon that of Jonah or a passage in Psalms, such as 89:9; 106:9; or 107:23–25. Jesus’ sleeping does suggest confidence in God (cf. Ps 3:5; 4:8; Prov 3:24). Furthermore Jesus’ sleeping is one of many indications in Mark of his humanity. The disciples’ question strongly rebukes Jesus and is another example of Mark’s candor, which Matt 8:25 and Luke 8:24 tone down.
Brooks, J. A, supra
 If Matthew and Luke believed, like today's inerrantists, that Mark's choice of wording is not reasonably interpreted in a way supporting low Christology, then how could Matthew and Luke have been motivated to tone it down?  If it's not a problem or a potential problem, it doesn't need a solution, does it?  And how can you believe the gospel authors espoused "biblical inerancy" (i.e., that Matthew and Luke viewed Mark's text as without error and inspired by God exactly the way Mark wrote it), when modern-day inerrantist Christian scholars are admitting that Matthew and Luke changed or "toned down" Mark's wording?  If YOU had been using Mark's text to help you construct your own gospel, would YOU have changed his wording the way Matthew and Luke did?  Or would your being an "inerrantist" prevent you from making any changes to the divinely chosen wording in the source material?
Mark 5:31 The disciples’ sarcastic reply is an example of Markan candor that is omitted by Matthew (cf. 9:20–22) and toned down in Luke (8:45).
Brooks, J. A., supra
 Swamidass continues:
They do not fit expectations of a fabricated account.
They aren't quite as bad as the 2nd century pseudepigrapha (gee, I wonder where the 2nd century Christians ever got the idea that utterly fictional narratives about Jesus stood a fair chance of being believed by Christians, if in fact 1st century Christians cared only for historically accurate source material?  And that Matthew, Luke and John are fabricating in their resurrection accounts was already shown by the Christian scholarly consensus which says Mark author of the earliest gospel, did not write anything about the resurrection appearances.  Since it is not likely Mark would "chose to exclude" the evidentiary details of the most important aspect about Jesus (his resurrection), Mark's silence isn't because he is "choosing to exclude" such a story, he is silent about Jesus actually appearing to anybody because Mark did not know of, or did not trust in the reliability of, any so-called resurrection appearance story.  No trifle of "maybe this or maybe that" can take this historical justification for skepticism and make it unreasonable.
For example, women are the first witnesses of the Resurrection.
Many Christian scholars think Paul's story of the resurrection witnesses in 1st Corinthians 15 draws on a very early creed, and Paul mentions no women.  
In a culture that did not admit the testimony of a woman as valid evidence in court,
That is bullshit, the law required a woman to give testimony in some cases, Deut. 25:9, and regardless, the NT books do not appear to be written to convince unbelievers, but to convince those already in the faith (i.e., those who have already decided to break away from worldly ways of doing things and adopt new ways...and in 1st century Judaism/Christianity, there were women whose testimony was considered of supreme importance: the prophetesses or daughters of Philip (Acts 21:8).  Even before Christianity, Judaism often honored the word of a woman (Ezekiel 13:23). Priscillia took part in instructing the zealous but ignorant Apollo in correcting his Christian preaching (Acts 18:25).

In short, the gospels were primarily written for those who already adopted the Christian faith, and therefore, were written for those who did not agree with secular view that the testimony of women was worthless.
this detail is surprising. Likewise, all the disciples, the leaders of the early Church, flee as cowards when Jesus is taken.
Which is consistent for followers who aren't convinced their leader can do serious miracles, but not consistent if we assume, as Christians must, that the disciples believed Jesus' miracles were genuinely supernatural.  If they were, those miracles would have given them every reason to be "amazingly transformed" no less than their alleged seeing Jesus risen from the dead would have.  More gospel baloney that has features more consistent with fiction than fact.
6. After Jesus’ violent death, His followers were frightened and scattered.
A literary device to make their subsequent transformation all the more bold and dramatic.
Then, something happened that grew a strong, bold, and confident belief that resisted sustained, murderous opposition.
Baloney!  There is not enough information about exactly how the original apostles died, to justify your  conclusion that they sustained their faith against murderous opposition.  And Mormonism sustained murderous opposition, even opposing the American Military in the 19th century, but does their succeeding against the odds impress YOU?  Then why should Christianity's success against the odds impress anybody else?  For the unfortunate few who seem to think James Patrick Holding's "impossible faith" bullshit answers this criticism, it doesn't.  Richard Carrier, who actually has a Ph.d in history and thus knows what he is talking about, has trounced Holding's thesis, which is probably some of the reason why Holding now hides his rejoinders behind paywalls:

Holding has configured his website so that the place I normally access it from, will not allow me to see anything but unreasdable raw html, but the google cache still provides the evidence that Holding doesn't want his reply to carrier to be known unless you pay for it:
 See the bottom of that page.

Swamidass continues:
Unlike other movements with executed leaders, once they came back together they did not replace Jesus with one of his family members. Their resistance was entirely non-violent and devoid of political power. Yet they were all suddenly willing to die for what they saw.
Fuck you, the available historical evidence does not permit dogmatism on how willing the original disciples were to become martyrs. What are you doing, parotting Josh McDowell.
What changed them?
Indeed, what change was responsible for Peter becoming a Judaizer after Jesus allegedly rose from the dead?
 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? (Gal. 2:14 NAU)
 Swamidass continues:
Why was there not evidence at the time to undermine their belief?
 That's about as stupid as asking "Why was there not evidence at the time to undermine the belief of the Mormons in the 1800's?"  There obviously was, but they found continuing in Mormonism and the practical benefits of it to somehow be a stronger motive than in whether it was actually true.
What convinced them that Jesus was inconceivably greater than his family?
Good question, since it was precisely his own brothers and immediate family who found his claims during his earthly ministry to be unworthy of credit:
1 After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.
 2 Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near.
 3 Therefore His brothers said to Him, "Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing.
 4 "For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."
 5 For not even His brothers were believing in Him. (Jn. 7:1-5 NAU)
  20 And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal.
 21 When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, "He has lost His senses."
 22 The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons."
 23 And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan?
 24 "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
 25 "If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
 26 "If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!
 27 "But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.
 28 "Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter;
 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin "--
 30 because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."
 31 Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him.
 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You."

 33 Answering them, He said, "Who are My mother and My brothers?"
 34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, "Behold My mother and My brothers!
 35 "For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother." (Mk. 3:20-35 NAU)
 I've been asking "apologists" for years how they explain how to reconcile their belief that all of Jesus' miracles were genuinely supernatural, with the gospel facts they are forced to admit are true, namely, that Jesus' immediate family were so unimpressed with his claims/works that they didn't believe him. If his miracles were real, their unbelief impeaches their credibility, should they surface later as believers.  If they refused to believe because Jesus' miracles were false, kiss your religion goodbye.  Hence, apologists don't have a lot of wiggle room as long as they admit the above-cited two passages about Jesus' own family refusing to believe his claims, are historically true.
7. More than just a fact about our past, the Resurrection creates a connection to God that is perceived by people from all times, cultures, socioeconomic statuses, personalities, and metal capacities, across the last 2,000 years of history. Its reach includes some of the most famous scientists: Blaise Pascal, Johann Kepler, Robert Boyle, Gregor Mendel, Asa Gray, Michael Faraday, James Maxwell, Santiago Ramón y Cajal, and Francis Collins. Is this unmatched reach and influence a sign of a living God working His purpose in history?
Ad populum fallacy.  You cannot argue or imply a truth by referring to the fact that it is popular, or accepted by a bunch of smart important people in history.
Some of the evidence here is established by scientific methods. For example, radiocarbon dating demonstrates that Isaiah 53’s prediction that Jesus “see the light of life” after dying was written at least 100 years before His birth.
Irrelevant, Isaiah 53 contains details entirely inconsistent with the Jesus of the gospels, so it doesn't matter if we grant that Isaiah made this "prediction" in 700 b.c. or in 100 b.c.
However, the question of Jesus gently beckons us out from science’s limits, into a reality where love, beauty, goodness, and relationships are real. In the question of the empty tomb, science itself reaches its hard limit. It points to something beyond itself.
Not if you infer all that is reasonable to infer from the Christian scholarly consensus that Mark was the earliest of the 4 gospels and that 16:8 is the last of Mark's own writing.
1. The Resurrection is God’s direct, supernatural action in a specific physical event in history. The obvious finality of physical death (both in modern science and to the ancient world) serves to highlight the role of God in this moment. We never consider God’s action in science, so we cannot even ask the question without opening our minds to things beyond science.[9]
And thus opening our minds to things beyond empirical demonstration.  Now google "William Lane Craig" and then come back here and tell me that I believe in numbers even though I can't demonstrate them empirically.
2. The entire Christian faith hinges on the physical Resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:14,17),
Jesus himself never taught any such thing, so Paul was likely engaging in the sin of going beyond the word of the Lord here.
but no “Resurrection mechanism” for science to study is proposed.
We also don't propose any "gateway to another dimension" to explain the Bermuda Triangle.
As a mechanism-free singular event that defies all natural laws, we are well outside science’s ability adjudicate facts and understand evidence.
Precisely why we should view any science-contradicting testimony as total bullshit. 
3. The question of the Resurrection is more like an opportunity to fall in love than a scientific inquiry.
yeah, with the resurrection story representing that stupid mule she met at the bar, who makes all those mid-might promises to her when she's in the mood, but who later fails to deliver.
There is evidence, but the Resurrection cannot be studied dispassionately.
Precisely the reason why we should be suspicious that it is not capable of dispassionate resolution.
[10] If Jesus really rose from the dead, it reorders everything.
And if the Easter Bunny is real, this is going to embarrass a lot of mature adults.
Just like falling in love, in changes our view of the world.

The final verdict, for me, is that the Resurrection makes sense through the lens of history.
The final verdict for me is that you appear to have learned your entire resurrection spiel from Josh McDowell, the one Christian apologist most notorious for avoiding debate and peer-review like the plague.
I find the Creator of all that science studies comes to us in this way.
If it keeps you from doing crime, more power to you.  What's false become beneficial to society if what's false keeps you in line. Religion is the opiate of the masses.  Sleep tight.
The evidence is compelling, but not definitive.
"but not definitive"?  How does it feel now that you've said something to make most of your other conservative Christian friends view you are ignorant, weak, or deluded by Satan?
Faith in Jesus is reasonable and is certainly not without evidence.
So?  Rejection of the resurrection of Jesus is certainly reasonable and not without evidence.  Your article has done nothing to tip the balance of historical probabilities in favor of the Christian view.
So, we are left with an invitation. Will we too believe? Will we be curious? Will we respond with trust?
And get caught up in all the ceaseless theological arguments that constantly divide Christians against each other?  FUCK YOU.   I cannot be a Christian because I'm the kind of guy who actually takes my beliefs seriously. 

Jason Engwer doesn't appreciate the strong justification for skepticism found in John 7:5

Bart Ehrman, like thousands of other skeptics, uses Mark 3:21 and John 7:5 to argue that Jesus' virgin birth (VB) is fiction.  Jason Eng...