If you ever find yourself in the unfortunate postilion of having to spend time next to a christian it's important that you have things to say. Often at times when the christian feels the conversation is drying up they will start quoting passages from the bible in an attempt to indoctrinate you.
So what i have done is compose a list of questions you can put to the christian to keep them on their toes. or if you are already a Christian, Try these questions on your priest, Minister or Pastor.
1. Why does god hate amputees? - There has never been a case of a single amputee growing back an arm or a leg yet god (supposedly) sees fit to regularly cure cancer sufferers and the blind.
2. Biblical Law - In Matthew 5:17-18 it states that Jesus wants Christians to follow the old testament word for word. Why don't they? And why do they actively disregard the parts of the old testament which they don't agree with or which are socially unacceptable these day, Like child slavery?
3. Eye of a needle - If Jesus said it's difficult, Even impossible, For a rich man to get in to the kingdom of heaven why do so many rich people believe in Jesus? why is it the goal of nearly every single christian to become rich? And why do TV evangelists always want your money?
4. Did god create Cancer and aids - Did he? If so why? And why do good Christians also get them? Or was it a mistake? And if it was, Why not do something about it now?
5. Bible Revisions - The bible read by Christians of today differs by many chapters and thousand of paragraphs from the original. Which one is the word of god and why does man edit it?
6. Second Commandment - If the 2Nd Commandment is "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" why do Christians wear crosses, Have statues and make films with Jesus' graven image on them?
7. Jesus Loves? - If Jesus loves why did he say "I will kill her children. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches hearts and minds." in Revelation 2:23. Is Jesus really a child killer?
8. Allegory - The bible states that the Earth is between 6,000 and 8,000 years old, that it was created in 7 days, and that Man is made of dirt and Woman a piece of Man. The modern church says this is allegory. Where does it say in the bible that it is allegory?
9. Witch trials, Inquisitions and crusades - Historians estimate the total number of people executed in the name of Jesus is as high as 15 million (mostly Jews, "witches" and pagans). How does it feel knowing that Jesus is responsible for 3 times as many deaths as Hitler?
10. The only real SIN. - In Mark 3:29 it says "but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin". Is it true that paedophiles and child killers can be forgiven and get in to heaven but disbelievers can't?
11) So there was Adam and Eve (the only two people).. and Eve had Cain and Able... both boys ... and then Cain killed Abel, and left for Nod after his punishment right?
ReplyDeleteWell, the next verse after that is
And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
12)Was his wife his sister?
13)Where the hell did she come from?
And if she somehow was his waayyy younger sister...
14)Was Enoch retarded?
15)Did Cain get in trouble for possible statutory rape?
16)Did God wait to make inbred children retarded until the Earth was saturated?
Those are the questions I'd like to act Christians...many more too. You should start a forum for questions.
Where in the bible does it say there was "only two people"?
DeleteAdam and eve were the first that dosnt mean the only.
Keep reading Genesis:2 ... it gets better and better with people begetting people... who the hell are they banging?? Looks like there were other people around before A&E. No shit right.
ReplyDeleteoooooooooooh Lord have mercy. I am dead serious, not because you are all athiests. I say that because of your horrible, horrible, horrible understanding of Christian Theology.
ReplyDeleteTo read the bible literally line for line, is flawed. Not the entire bible is not always an allegory, and for every question you have there is a theological answer. Unfortunelty all of you are extremly short sighted to see that. Right now I don't have time to answer each and every question you have. I can answer each and every question you have with a rational answer.
From the mysterious woman cain married, to child rapists going to heaven and non believers (by choice) going to hell, and so on and so on. Yes I admit I do not have every answer to every bible question, but I think I could give you a fair amount of them. Here is my email address. Settrachar@yahoo.com.
I am dead serious, send me your questions or criticisms. I have been arguing with athiests for years (and I was the only christian among athiests, it was that I was mocking them. It was I was defending myself against their mockery). I am a christian you will never meet. Hell I use to be an athiest until I reached the age of reason and became a christian.
So again I dare any of you to send me your questions, or critiques of the bible. I dare you, and if you would like I would be more than happy to explain why I am a one of a kind (or a rare kind) of christian.
No comma necessary in sentence 3. Unfortunately*, extremely*, You said, "I can answer each and every question you have with a rational answer," then a few sentences later you say, "Yes[,] I admit I do not have every answer to every [B]ible question..." Christian* is a proper noun. Science is advancing at too fast a rate for religion to maintain its legitimacy for more than a few years.
DeleteThis sounds more like Christian Hatred than Atheism. You guys should really get an understanding of your own scientific method before tearing apart someone else's belief.
ReplyDeletehey, so number 9.. you say that Jesus was accountable for all of these deaths, right? well i have a thought, people will say anything to get other people to follow them (like poloticians), just because someone says god told them to kill people dosen't mean he did. people lie, its been provin.
ReplyDeletelook at charles manson on your comment lmaoooooooooooooo he was there god he told them to muder thus charles =god is the real murder
DeleteIn answer to the "10 things to ask"
ReplyDelete1. God definitely doesn't hate amputees. I know several people personally who've seen legs and arms grow out. One man actually held a child's feet out and heard cracking and popping as the shorter foot grew out to the same length as the other. God does miracles to prove His love and power.
2. Jesus came to FULFILL all the laws of the Old Testament. All the laws and rituals of the Old Testament are fulfilled and point to Christ. Such as sacrifices. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice that annulled our sins and can bring us to right relationship with God. When Jesus died on the cross, the heavy, thick veil seperating the Holy of Holies where the presence of God was and the outer courts was rent so that all can experience and live in the presence of God. Jesus provided access. There are ENDLESS examples...
3. Good question. Because God says that those who gain everything will lose everything and those who lose everything for His sake will gain everything. God wants to bless us...BUT that doesn't mean He'll make us millionaries with 10 vehicles. His goal in our lives is not to make us rich and comfy but to transorm our hearts and lives so that they reflect His image of His love and so that we can spread that message of love and redemption to others. For people in the Bible and history and even today in restricted nations that meant and means everything but comfort. Hunger, beatings, being alienated from family and friends, death even. But "through all these things we are more than conquerers through Him that loves us"!!
Everyone and everything wants our money....family, expenses, house payments, car payments, food, etc. Not just TV preachers.
4. Heck no techo! God DID NOT create cancer or AIDS. He gave us free will and when we chose to sin (aka not save ourselves sexually for marriage) that results in AIDS because we're not following the best way that God is wanting.
Cancer is a mutation in cells...which equals something completely not normal and completely not what God wants!!!
But God does heal cancer. I myself have seen cancer healed. God is powerful and able and always reaching out in love despite the miserable conditions of the world!
5. Another good question. Yes, there are many variations of the Bible as there are many variations in denominations and beliefs. This actually can be studied in depth...but it comes down to which version you feel convicted to use. Some versions have been created by man because they don't want to take the time to try and understand what they're reading. They don't want to seek God for what He is saying. They just want baby food/slang version!
6. The whole purpose of the 6th commandment was so that we would not worship a "graven image". Throughout the Old Testmant people fell prey to this! God wanted to protect them. A cross necklace is purely a reminder (or for some sadly...a fashion statement...)of what our lives is based on and the hope that we have. I personally don't wear a cross necklace...because I've never really liked them. I don't need to wear a cross necklace to be reminded...because my walk with God is a daily, personal relationship.
7. In this reference Jesus is talking about the children of the harlot (if I remember right) and so in reference to the harlot it's talking about a corrupt people who've turned their back on God. God is love, but God is also true and just. He FULLY created a way to Himself and WANTS MORE THAN anything for people to turn aside and come to Him. But there are those who choose not to...and what can He do when He's made every opportunity for people to come to Him and they choose not to?? He must be just.
8. Jesus is not responsible for this. Flawed people who are not fully rooted in truth are responsible for that!
9. Blaspheming Against the Holy Spirit....hmm...willingly rejecting what the Holy Spirit is giving, throwing it back in His face, cursing Him, telling Him to get off your back and get out of your life. That's blaspheming the Holy Spirit. What choice does He have when we do that???
The Lord LOVES you with all HIS heart!!!! Come to Him, His arms are OPEN TO YOU!!!!
1. Why does god hate amputees? I don't think God hates amputees, it is just that they are harder to grow back, cancer and blind are cured easier, by physical effects usually, but there can be divine energy involved as well.
ReplyDelete2. Biblical Law That is a old law, suitable for old times. Things have changed, and so have the laws.
4. Did god create Cancer and aids No, it just happens from natural causes.
5. Bible Revisions Man edits it because the old language is obsolete.
6. Second Commandment I don't know. The commandment was probably invented so that you don't worship statues. You have to think of the logical things as well, not just literally what it says! Some Christian denominations however do believe that, and don't have crosses in the church for that reason.
8. Allegory Genesis is just a mythological story. (Some other books may be more historically accurate, though.) That does not mean mythological stories are bad, it is still good if you take it wisely instead of literally.
9. Witch trials, Inquisitions and crusades People used to be like that. Of course now we know better. Other religion is still good, for different people, as long as you don't interfere too much! There is a commandment about not killing, it was invented for good reason, why don't you listen about it some more next time!!! In my opinion, many religions, including Christian, agnostic, atheist, and the others, are just a different way of saying it.
Your last question....re forgiveness.
ReplyDeleteIf God has offered forgiveness to all who ask then anyone, regardless of their wrong before God, can receive God's forgiveness. If they refuse to ask then there's no forgiveness. Your statement is flawed because to say "paedophiles, rapists etc can be forgiven but unbelievers can't" is not comparing like with like! The Bible says that ALL men and women have failed to meet God's standards so all are "condemned" in eternity. It also says that all have the same opportunity for forgiveness. If you were in the gutter and I offered you £5 for a cup of tea and you refuse it, you haven't got it. if you accept it, it's yours! It's that simple. You have a freewill to decide not to believe/accept or, to read this site, even to not actually find out what Christians really believe. We don't need answers to all the obscure questions to knopw the answer to the key one. Where is real lif, eternal life found? In Jesus.
Wrong, Anonymous. The passage is very clear. Anyone who is blasphemous is NEVER forgiven, They are guilty of an ETERNAL sin. Unlike paedophiles, child killers, Rapists and everyone else who is able to be forgiven, Blasphemous people are NEVER forgiven.
ReplyDeleteit's your fucking book, it shouldn't take an atheist to give you lessons on it.
Perhaps you need to realize the following... We are to believe that if we live on our own destruction will come our way. We need to lean on the understanding that comes only from a Creator God. Everything was perfect in the Garden of Eden prior to the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Since then, the choice as to whether we believe is up to us. God allows us to make out own choices hence the so called "will of God" being perpetuated in the destruction by the hands of the Crusaders. Men lead men into destruction when eyes are turned from God and haughty human spirit takes hold.
DeleteWhat if, dear reader, you can humor me for one moment and consider the following. In the last throws of his existence, a pedophile or murderer realizes that they are disgusting, horrible creatures that have done many horrific unforgivable things. That, having realized this they turn their eyes, heartfelt and full of genuine sorrow to Heaven and ask for forgiveness. They ask, that should it be the will of God they are accepted as they were made, children of God, and brought forth to the glory of the Almighty. Will they be forgiven - yes!
What if a "good " person (good in his own belief of the word) saunters through life assuming he is fine just as he is, despite being born into sin as we all are, and refuses any connection with the Almighty Creator God. uses his existence to do right by his own standards, ignores the law of God, and believes he is a right unto himself, curses God maybe for assuming that God should be important in his life and continues his existence in pure ignorant bliss. Using the name of the Holy Spirit as blasphemy and deplores anything to do with God. Will he be forgiven - No.
Why should God forgive this person? You have a choice, God says don't blaspheme, and you do. There is a consequence. If you can't handle that consequence, don't do it! And remember this verse is centered on blasphemy against the Holy Spirit specifically!!!
Remember though - we do not now the HEART of a person. Only God knows a truly genuine request and can recognize it as such. A person in a suit, that turns up to church every week cannot and will not be guaranteed a place in Heaven. Only a true belief in Christ and acceptance of Him will result in a place in the Heavenly Kingdom. But I shall round this up as it might be getting a little too intellectual for someone who communicates with swear words and CAPITALS!
So yes, there is a strong chance a truly genuine plea from a truly genuinely horrible person will trump a complete refusal of acknowledgment and blasphemy from a supposed "good person"... and one will get to Heaven, the other won't.
However, God is not a mug. Just because someone shouts a last minute prayer and asks for forgiveness - it doesn't mean he will get to Heaven....
well the only sin that takes you out of the running to get in to haven is just not to belve in the myth of the bible and jesuse god and all that crap ,,,,,,like matt said all the killers rapest thay get to go lmao how messed up is the bible >> alot?
DeleteIt takes a human being to concoct a "no win" situation out of thin air such as original sin to try and explain why we are the way we are. We love, hate, kill each other, help others and everything in between. We have survived this long because our society has evolved to accept certain actions as being those that help maintain our existence. Period. No need to create some first cause for everything. Oh and on that note don't say you believe that God can be timeless and than try to say that nature can not. Stop wishing for a so called future after you die and realize that any "heaven" or "hell" is what we make of it. If there is some supreme being that is running this borderline sadistic experiment where we need to pass some test of blind faith...well, that isn't a supreme being worthy of praise or anything else.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean Rohan, that you shouldn't read the bible literally? Who determines what is to be literal and what to take as allegory? Maybe you should take ever lasting life as an allegory. And that salvation thing and christ returning, yea that's allegory. There is no scriptural evidence saying "Hey! Take these books as allegory and then everything past that as literal!" Also, christians aren't supposed to "defend themselves from mockery" as jesus says to turn the other cheek. In hebrew a strike to the face is an insult...so is mockery. Stop defying the Word!
ReplyDeleteMatthew 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Luke 6:30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
So uh, give me 10 dollars please. It is the law of God to give to those that ask. And I'm asking for 10 dollars. Thanks.
1. Why does God hate amputees?
ReplyDeleteGod loves all of his children, and everything he puts in your life is a test to prepare you for eternity in heaven. He can't just make a limb grow back, because that would defeat the purpose of this important test. God is watching to see how you react and overcome...
2. Why do Christians disregard biblical law?
I hate to admit this, but there are good Christians, and bad Christians. The bad Christians say they are real, but they are only hypocrites and show-offs. They take God's word out of context, and sometimes even ignore it all together...this gives every Christian a bad name. I heard once, atheists don't read the Bible, because they've already read the "Christians". There are Christians out there who are sinners, but they STILL try to do right, and the repent their sins, and they try their best not to vain and hypocritical....theses are the REAL Christians, which I wish you could see more of.
3. Why is it that Christians want to get rich, but Jesus said rich men don't belong in heaven?
What Jesus meant was that greedy and materialistic people cannot get into heaven. Back in Bible times, people spoke differently, so you have to be open for a little interpretation. As for the Christians who want to get rich, either A) they are not the true full time Christian, but rather the only 1-hour a week kind of Christian, or B) they are good Christian people who only desire to be wealthy because that's only human nature. The Christian way is to fight human nature and be selfless, but sadly, so many Christians refuse to admit that they fail at this sometimes. This is our biggest problem. I'm sorry so many Christians are fake and obnoxious.
4. Why did God create cancer and AIDS?
Cancer and AIDS are the punishment for our world's sinful and selfish ways. All humans sin, even true, devoted Christians. This means, ANYBODY can get it. Besides, if the world were perfect, nobody would ever desire heaven.
5. Why does man continue to edit the Bible?
I'm sad to admit that I cannot fully explain this one. I do know however, that not everybody can read Shakespearean style writing, and that's the kind of text found in the first English Bible. Man wanted the Bible to be available to everyone, so they keep updating the language so its easier to understand. I do believe though, like you, that if they keep changing and editing the language, sometimes words, sentences, paragraphs, and even chapters get deleted or moved. I cannot explain this last point.
6. Why do Christians worship the Cross?
The cross was originally meant to be a simple and grave reminder of what Jesus did for us, and that sin has a price tag. I do understand your frustration though, because many Christians end up worshiping the cross rather than the Father, and that is a mistake.
7. Why did Jesus say he'd kill children in Revelation 2:23?
Okay, I actually had to look up this one to answer it. I'm not going to pretend that I know what I'm talking about here, because that's wrong...but....I'm thinking this was a metaphor, the mother representing the devil, and the children representing all of his followers and evil-doers... Again, I can't be sure...I'll definitely look into that...just for you ^_^ !
8. The church says the Creation is allegory. Where in the Bible does it say that?
I can't explain why, but the entire Bible is like a big metaphor. There are metaphors hidden in every sentence and chapter.... I don't really know why the Bible doesn't say that most of its contents is a metaphor.... I'm guessing that if people thought EVERYTHING in there is a metaphor, then they'd question rather any of it is true...now we can't prove if the Bible is true or not though...that's something you'll have to decide for yourself.
9. Why are there over 15 million deaths in the name of Jesus?
Remember when I was talking about good Christians and bad Christians? Good Christians don't believe in killing other people or judging them by their race or belief, but bad Christians use Jesus' name as a "perfect" (please notice my quotation marks) reason and backup for killing people different than them. Bad Christians have earned all Christians a HORRIBLE name, and again, I am sorry with every fiber in my body that their awful actions have affected you so much. And as for Jesus, he is NOT responsible for his followers' actions, because sometimes followers claim to follow, but then they don't really do it. Jesus came, said what he had to say, and then sacrificed himself for us....THE END.
10. Whys is it that child killers can get into heaven, but non-believers can't?
I personally believe that all people are capable of change, and no sin is too horrible...I REPEAT: NO SIN IS TOO HORRIBLE to for God to forgive. But God simply can't forgive and heal you if you refuse to believe.
I didn't by any means spend an hour and a half typing this trying to convert you. And I really don't want you to think that. I respect your opinions completely, I just felt I needed to answer these questions as honestly as I could because I'm a Christian (which is who you aimed these at). I pray that maybe you'll give us Christians (the good ones) a little more slack, but then again, that's your personal decision. Jesus loves you, and God does too.
-Abbie-
I know you may hate me, but if you get a chance, please shoot me an email--I'd really like to get to know you. iyomite@ymail.com
Heck yes.
ReplyDeleteThis is really true. Some people just can't accept it.
So to begin,
ReplyDelete1. Why does God hate amputees?
I find this question difficult to answer mostly because I find its foundational logic vague. It seems to me that the author is trying to assert that since there are references to the healing of other diseases in the bible and not the healing of amputated limbs that God hates people with amputations. The question I have is, why did the author choose amputees? There are many, many diseases that are not specifically named in the healing passages of the New Testament. Why did the author favor amputees over sufferers of gout, lupus, high cholesterol, diabetes, auto-immune diseases, downs syndrome, fragile x, cat’s cry, Marfans syndrome, smallpox or any other disease known to plague mankind?
I do not think that it is logical to make an argument that God hates amputees simply because no such incident is recorded in the gospels. There are numerous passages that list Jesus’ healings in a summarizing manner. I have no problem understanding that not ever single healing was recorded in the Gospels and the writers of the gospels make it clear that they did not. A few examples of these passages include:
Matthew 14:34-36 (New International Version)
34When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.
Matthew 15:30 (New International Version)
30Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them
2. Biblical Law
The author of this question makes reference to Mathew 5:17-18 but let us list that here so we can have it on hand for discussion.
17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Now the author of this question says “Jesus wants Christians to follow the Old Testament word for word. Why don't they?” I find it difficult to read this passage and come to the same conclusion; if that was in fact Jesus’ point I think he was being extremely vague about it. Rather than admonishing his followers to continue to submit themselves to the Law he states that He has in fact come to fulfill the law; and if Jesus is the fulfillment of the law then He is very correct by asserting that the smallest stroke of the Law will not pass away since He Himself will not pass away.
What does He mean when He says that He has come to fulfill the Law? For this I think a passage in Hebrews will be helpful.
Hebrews 7: 23-28
23Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25Therefore he is able to save completely[c] those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
26Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
Hebrews 9: 11-14
11When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here,[b] he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,[c] so that we may serve the living God!
The writer of Hebrews describes this topic in great detail. The bottom line of these passages and the ones that follow is that the purpose of the Law was twofold: 1. To explain holy (and by that I mean set apart) behavior and 2. To cleanse the children of Israel from their Sin. Jesus can say he has fulfilled the Law because it is His death on the cross that was able to cleanse not only the ceremonial uncleanliness, but also the spiritual uncleanliness. What the blood of goats and bulls could not do the blood of the Christ did and now He lives forever praying to the Father for His children and interceding for us as a perfect and eternal High Priest.
This is an extremely dense topic and I will cut myself off here for now so that I can continue on with the other questions.
3. Eye of a Needle.
The author asks if Jesus says that it is difficult, even impossible for a rich person to receive the kingdom of God why is it that so many rich people believe in Jesus and why is the goal of nearly every single Christian to become rich. This is a very thought provoking and interesting question. First of all, however, there is some sweeping generalizations that need to be dealt with particularly the phrase “nearly every single Christian.” The author is making a shot from the hip generalization about Christianity that I feel is unsupported by the evidence. I can understand how someone might come to this conclusion living in America or the Western World since we are blessed to be extremely affluent. I find it a stretch for someone to ascertain the motives of possibly millions of people he or she has not met.
That aside, wealth and the proper use of it is a topic that is well covered in the gospels. I understand the author’s frustration since there does seem to be a culture of elitist wealthy Christians so let’s look at the problem from a couple of different angles.
1. It is not a sin to be wealthy.
Many people in the bible were wealthy and many people in the bible were poor. Interestingly enough an extremely wealthy man by the name of Job was also described by God as having a faith that was unique among all the people of earth. Kind David was also extremely wealthy and he was described as having a heart like the heart of God. King Solomon was the wealthiest king of Israel in his time it was said that rare jewels were as common as stones in the street and he (at least in his younger years was a very devout and righteous man)
2. While it is not a sin to be wealthy, it is extremely hard to focus on the kingdom of God when you are wealthy.
I will list a few scriptures that illustrate this point.
James 5:1-5
1Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.[a] 6You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.
The point James is illustrating here is an example of people who have called themselves believers and have put their trust in their earthly wealth. Not only have they lost sight of the kingdom of God they have oppressed their fellow men in an effort to increase their wealth. James is very clear that such men will receive the punishment they deserve for their oppression of the poor.
Solomon is himself an excellent example of how riches (and ungodly relationships) can lead someone astray. As a young man he followed the Lord with all his heart but as he grew older he began to listen to the bad advice of those around him and drifted from the Lord. The book of Ecclesiastes is evidence of how far he had fallen away from God’s presence though; fortunately he realized his error in the end.
This discussion is made even worse by the so called “Prosperity Gospel” which seems to say that if you get saved and follow Jesus then he will make you rich and happy all the days of your life. It is an unfortunate truth that heresies have always existed and will continue to exist until Jesus comes again and this one has done its fair share of damage, alas.
4. Did God create Cancer and Aids?
This depends on your particular doctrine. I do not believe that there are very many times when God breaks into the natural world to have a time of special creation. Aids is a relatively new disease and its mode of action is particularly insidious. If the question was “Did God create disease?” then it would be easier for me to answer. I do believe that God did create the microbes that are responsible for disease. I believe based on the early passages of scripture that disease (as well as physical death) became a part of creation in response to man’s desire to step into God’s shoes. However, this does not mean that disease is God’s will for mankind, if it was he would not have outlined specific laws in the book of Numbers to protect the Israelites from disease. Also, if God had no sympathy for disease I doubt Jesus would have gone around healing the afflicted. Also, God has allowed us to understand a great deal about disease and therefore alleviated suffering for many, many people. The point of this is to say that I do not believe that God created disease without some respite from its effects. However, our rebellion against God has many consequences and disease is one of them.
This topic drifts extremely close to “If God loves us then why do bad things happen?” which is an extremely long winded debate I don’t want to get into right now (especially since I’m on the 6th page of this reply and its only question 4…)
5. Bible revisions.
This is another question I find difficult to answer because of its vague nature. I am curious where the author got the statement “many chapters and thousand of paragraphs from the original.” I can’t tell if the author has a source that he neglects to reference or whether he came up with that number off the top of his head? Is he referring to the apocrypha, the Gnostic gospels, or the two councils that selected the books for the Old and New testaments?
The heart of his question seems to be, how do we know the bible we have today is anything like the bible that was originally written.
Fortunately there are more manuscript copies of the New Testament than most of the other famous books of antiquity. If one were to throw out the New Testament by saying it had been edited and changed through out the years then they would also have to force all professors of ancient literature to retire! There around 5,600 surviving manuscripts of the New Testament in Greek only! In contrast there are only 643 surviving copies of the Illiad.
(three sources: 1) Christian Apologetics, by Norman Geisler, 1976, p. 307; 2) the article "Archaeology and History attest to the Reliability of the Bible," by Richard M. Fales, Ph.D., in The Evidence Bible, Compiled by Ray Comfort, Bridge-Logos Publishers, Gainesville, FL, 2001, p. 163; and 3) A Ready Defense, by Josh Mcdowell, 1993, p. 45.)
Why does this matter? Well when literary critics judge whether the content of a document is close to its original they judge all of the descending manuscripts from that original and see how similar they are. The more copies there are the easier it is to judge how well they stuck to the original. Using this evidence and by reading all of the manuscripts it has been show that the New Testament has is about 99.5% textually pure. ( same reference as above) The New Testament stands out amongst the works of antiquity in as far as its fidelity to the original.
I gonna have to call it a break right here considering the length of this document. I will take a break and give my humble answers to question 6-10 in another post.
God bless
Tullos
To answer your first point, Amputees were chose because the "curing" of them would be spectacular, obvious and could not be explained by natural means.
ReplyDeleteAhh, ok. I'm wondering though, might not the examples of Jesus healing the blind illustrate the restoration of a incurable degenerative illness. I'm no medical doctor but I can't think of any cases where people who had been blind for years spontaneously regained their sight.
ReplyDeleteIn fact the restoration of one blind man was so incredible the Pharisees summoned the man's parents to identify him as their son and give testimony to the fact that he was born blind.
(John 9:1-34)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%209;&version=31;
thanks for the clarification
Okay, as promised here is my continued response to the God Be Gone Athiest News list of Top Ten Questions to Ask a Christian
ReplyDelete6. Second Commandment - If the 2nd Commandment is "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" why do Christians wear crosses, Have statues and make films with Jesus' graven image on them?
This is an extremely interesting question, one I have never heard from atheists before but have often pondered myself. The heart of the question is why does God command that the Israelites refrain from making idols (graven images) in the first place?
There are a couple of reasons that could be stated for this commandment.
1. All (to my knowledge) of the cultures around the land of Canaan were idol worshipers. Ironically Genesis outlines how these people are descended from people who once knew and worshipped God but have now abandoned him to worship idols. (i.e. Canaan the man was Noah’s grandson, for whom the Canaanites were named) This could be interpreted as another example of Laws in the Old Testament designed to make the nation of Israel holy (and by holy I mean set apart) from the other nations.
2. The second and much more important reason I believe God outlawed graven images was to curb the desire of men to worship something rather than someone. God did not desire His people to get distracted by an idol that represented Him and therefore miss out on having a Father and child relationship with him. Another problem with the Jehovah idol concept is that a common theme in the Old and New Testaments is that God’s form is unknown and most likely inconceivable to mankind and therefore casting His image in wood or metal would not have made such sense. The majority of theologians that I have read of generally believe that any anthromorphic characteristics of God ( i.e the face of God, God’s hand etc) are used in the Bible to make the situation more clear to us physical beings.
So why does this matter? Well, I do believe that there have been times that the image of the Cross or the image of Jesus have broken the spirit of the 2nd commandment. Anytime a symbol replaces God in a person’s heart and mind then it is in violation of the 2nd commandment. So, in such cases, the cross, crucifix, painting or whatever would be considered a bad idea. Some people I believe are more prone to this temptation and should therefore guard themselves. However, if you understand the difference between a symbol and a living personality I don’t think that the 2nd commandment has been breached.
7. Jesus Loves? - If Jesus loves why did he say "I will kill her children. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches hearts and minds." in Revelation 2:23. Is Jesus really a child killer?
I have to admit that I was caught a little unawares by this question since I couldn’t for the life of me figure out where this verse had come from. This is the first time I’ve had this verse quoted to me and so I immediately turned to Revelation to check it out.
This verse is a good example of a Bible verse being taken way, way out of context. I’m not insinuating it was done on purpose because I understand how this verse could be misunderstood if the reader is not familiar with the Old Testament. First of all here is the appropriate passage:
Revelation 2:18-23
18"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
Now, it would be an easy mistake for someone not familiar with the Old Testament to read this passage and think that Jesus is threatening the life of a woman named Jezebel and her biological children. In actuality Jesus is referring to the legacy of Queen Jezebel, a murderer who helped lead King Ahab astray. Jezebel’s rap sheet includes: the murdering of Naboth to own his vineyard, the murdering of the Lord’s prophets, witchcraft etc etc. By comparing the prophetess to Jezebel Jesus is referring to a famous heretic to show how dangerous this woman’s heresy is. The custom of referring to a ill-moral woman as a Jezebel is still common in the South to this day.
Since Jesus has switched over to using Jezebel as an illustration he goes on to say he will strike her children dead, (i.e. destroy the legacy of her heresy) then all the churches will know that Jesus is the one who searches men’s hearts.
8. Allegory - The bible states that the Earth is between 6,000 and 8,000 years old, that it was created in 7 days, and that Man is made of dirt and Woman a piece of Man. The modern church says this is allegory. Where does it say in the bible that it is allegory?
This is another interesting question. I believe the point of this question is to say
1. The bible does not say the creation story is an allegory so it must be a real story so
2. The story is too ridiculous to believe therefore the bible is
Of course the argument could be that Christians are editing the Bible to avoid social pressure but then I imagine the next question would be how can such an incredible story be true.
To come out and say it, the Bible never explicitly states the creation story is allegorical. There are textual reasons one could think that it was, if one was so inclined however. Here is the definition of allegory by our old pal Webster:
the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence
So if you were to ask the question of if the story in Genesis is an allegory or not you could look at a number of factors.
1. The time of separation between the event and the recording of said event.
Moses is the person who has historically been attributed to writing the book of Genesis but scholars disagree. However most people agree that the story of creation was not recorded by Adam or Eve and therefore lots of time most likely passed before the story was written down.
2. The more fantastic elements of the story.
I don’t think anyone would argue that the story in Genesis is something that we would expect to see everyday. There are talking animals, heavenly creatures, the creation of all the world. The very subject of the creation story could lead someone to believe it was an allegory.
3. The existence of two copies of the creation.
If you read Genesis 1 and 2 carefully you can see that there are actually 2 copies of the creation story back to back, one that has been called by scholars the popular (i.e. the common man’s) and the priestly account. This double version of the story could lead someone to believe that the story is allegorical.
That’s about as thorough as I can go with that question I’m afraid without anymore input as to why it was asked.
9. Witch trials, Inquisitions and crusades - Historians estimate the total number of people executed in the name of Jesus is as high as 15 million (mostly Jews, "witches" and pagans). How does it feel knowing that Jesus is responsible for 3 times as many deaths as Hitler?
You can’t talk about theism very long without coming to this point right here. This is a point I have heard numerous times. I’m not sure where this figure comes from or what historians have supported it or what their methods were so it’s hard to refute.
I can however begin the discussion of the idea in general. I won’t deny that millions of people have been killed supposedly in the name of Jesus. I won’t even dismiss the estimation out of hand (2000 years is a long time.) I have a problem with the idea behind the question.
Problem 1: Just because it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck doesn’t make it a duck. (regardless of the idiom) I can claim to be whatever I want to be despite any evidence. I could claim quiet vehemently to be the King of Spain but that doesn’t make it true. You could validate my claim by looking at several facts about me and about how I act to see if in fact my claim of majesty was truthful (i.e. am I even Spanish?) In a similar vein, if I say that I hold certain beliefs and yet consistently act in opposition to those beliefs then I would say it is a fair argument that I am liar. Anyone who can participate in the mass murder of civilians and still claim to be a Christian needs to take a long look in the mirror. I would venture that they said they were Christians but in the end they were not.
Problem 2: Every philosophy has times when some of its “adherents” twist that philosophy for their own end. If it is indeed a twist or heresy or change in that philosophy caused the problem, the philosophy is itself to blame. I’m afraid I’m not getting my point across. Basically you have to ask the question, is it Christianity (the world view) that caused these atrocities or was it problems in the people themselves. I believe that if Christianity were the root cause of these murders then the number would not be as small as 15 million. If Christianity predisposed a person to being a mass murderer, then surely over 2000 years the number would be higher than that!
A good example of this is Joseph Stalin. Joseph Stalin holds the high spot of being one of the most evil and murderous men of all time. The general number of his victims is thrown around as about 20 million though some historians have it rated at much higher like Dr. R. J. Rummel. Dr. Rummel, in his book Lethal Politics has shown that the number of Stalin’s victims was more likely 62 million! 62 million people died as a result of Stalin’s decisions.
(http://freedomspeace.blogspot.com/2005/04/how-many-did-stalin-really-murder.html)
Now, I could take the fact that Stalin was an atheist and say, “Stalin killed 62 million people (4x the number alleged to Jesus by the way) and he was an atheist. In fact, the most powerful atheist governments in the last century also are famous for oppression and murder. Therefore, atheism causes mass murder (or atheism is responsible for mass murder)”
This however is a fallacy. Stalin did not murder 62 million people because he did not believe in God. He murdered those people because he was an evil dictator who had no compassion for human life. Many of the leaders who oversaw the crusades and the inquisition also happened to be elitists with little or no compassion for others.
Here’s the point, the Church has been responsible for some horrible tragedies in human history and the men and women who oversaw those atrocities will be judged accordingly. However, you cannot make the argument that Jesus caused 15 million murders. I think such an accusation is an absurd and unfair generalization.
Another thing that bothers me about this argument is that it completely glosses over all of the good that Christianity has done for mankind over 2000 years; it is a completely one sided argument.
Here is a list of relief given by the North American Mission Board just in 2007
2007 Activity Report
Number of Disasters Responded to by State Conventions 245
Meals Prepared 1,046,089
Buildings Repaired 1,238
Chainsaw Jobs/Yards Cleaned 8,565
Mudout Jobs 1,357
Roofs 186
Children Cared For 823
Showers Provided 64,587
Laundry Loads 4,547
Water Purified (gallons) 206,511
http://www.namb.net/site/c.9qKILUOzEpH/b.3991919/k.1F95/2007_Activity_Report.htm
In one year just one denomination prepared over 1 million meals! Keep in mind, this is just the Southern Baptist’s North American mission board. Imagine all of the denominations all across the world going back 2000 years! I’m not saying the Church hasn’t made horrible mistakes, but at least be fair and acknowledge how the Church has fed the hungry, clothed the needy and given shelter to the homeless.
10. The only real SIN. - In Mark 3:29 it says "but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin". Is it true that paedophiles and child killers can be forgiven and get in to heaven but disbelievers can't?
I’m glad this was the last question because I am very proud of the Truth of God’s Word in this regard. First of all, I challenge you to get ten theologians together in one room who can agree what exactly the “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” really is. I have read a dozen theories and no one can come to a consensus. The problem is that Jesus was extremely brief on this topic and therefore we have little evidence to look at to understand his meaning. However I will answer the question posed after the quote from Mark.
Emphatically and 100% yes! Once there was a meeting of various religious leaders and they were discussing the differences between their beliefs. C.S. Lewis was in attendance and he was posed the question. He answered quite clearly that Grace is the defining characteristic of Christianity. The doctrinal concept of Grace is completely different than any other religion on earth. Only Christianity says that any man, no matter how evil or corrupt he may have been is still within the reach of God’s salvation. Can a pedophile repent and be saved? Absolutely. Can a mass murder repent and be saved? Of course. This is the uniqueness of Christianity. The other two main monotheistic religions teach that through good works a man can earn his way into heaven but Christianity says no amount of good works can save a man and no amount of evil can condemn a man if he truly and genuinely repents. To repent means to turn around or change your mind about the things you have been doing in your life and your own philosophies. If anyone does this they can be saved, anyone. If Stalin on his death bed met with God and realized his error and arrogance and humbly asked Jesus’ forgiveness then he will be in heaven after the end of the world. Of course, the Bible teaches that no man can lie to God and that He can see into our very thoughts so the idea that we could trick Him into saving us is not biblically supported in the least.
This is because the righteousness of men is only determined by Christ. I am a horrible sinner and I continue to make bad and selfish decisions. However, my righteousness is not under my own control. Jesus has cleansed me of all of my mistakes past, present and future by my acknowledgment of my complete and utter dependence on His mercy and forgiveness.
So there you have it, my humble response to these questions.
God bless
Tullos
Well done!
DeleteThe problem with posing these questions to a fundamentalist Christian is that faith transcends reason. Bible believing Christians - those who take a literal interpretation - will have an answer to everything that you pose. And to the questions they can't answer, they will just claim it to be the truth.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot to be said to interpret the bible as a guide for living. Hell, even atheists can live by the tenets of the bible. It's called living a decent life.
But here is my question to the "Believers" about suffering. I always hear that when people suffer hardships, or disease - that it is God's way of challenging us or testing our faith. So, once every year i hear in the news about another sicko parent or guardian who had his child locked up in a room, and starved them to death - or something as equally disgusting. Can someone explain why that child is being tested? Or is God just a sadist?
Previous comment was not from the Other Anonymous.
ReplyDeleteIt was mine.
The problem with posing these questions to a fundamentalist Christian is that faith transcends reason. Bible believing Christians - those who take a literal interpretation - will have an answer to everything that you pose. And to the questions they can't answer, they will just claim it to be the truth.
There is a lot to be said to interpret the bible as a guide for living. Hell, even atheists can live by the tenets of the bible. It's called living a decent life.
But here is my question to the "Believers" about suffering. I always hear that when people suffer hardships, or disease - that it is God's way of challenging us or testing our faith. So, once every year i hear in the news about another sicko parent or guardian who had his child locked up in a room, and starved them to death - or something as equally disgusting. Can someone explain why that child is being tested? Or is God just a sadist?
In response to backstabbingliar's post, I believe I can shed some light.
ReplyDeleteOne of the major questions that Christians are asked is why does God let such awful things happen to us. If he loves us so much, how could he let these things happen? The question is very valid, but ignores two big questions. The first one is this, why do we let it happen.
Why do we as humans allow evil men to do great acts of genocide and we do nothing. It matters not what creed we may live by, how can we stop and just watch the killing of millions of innocents across the world today and do nothing? God has said that he will not control us to action, it is us who must make the choices. God does not make the sin, only the human can.
The other question is puzzling for Atheists and those who are of other religious beliefs, is dieing and suffering accutally bad? I know, this sounds like a dumb question, but think about this. The origional 12 apostles of Christ went through some of the worst persecution. 10 of the 12 were tortured and killed, but yet they still believed in God. Allow me to give you an analogy. If you had a friend who you cared deeply for was dieing of cancer, you would be upset. If you were Christrian you would pray and pray, and yet your friend seems to only get worse and worse. Eventually, your friend dies from cancer. A Christian would have a very odd moment here. Christians do not view death as an end, but a beggining. Much that the death of a tree is not an end, but a new beggining, so to is death for humans. At the end of this flawed life upon which humans live, we are granted new life with no flaws. The reason is because God loves us in a way that we have never been loved before.
I'm sure that this doesn't all make sense, but I encourage you to study the texts and read more than just one view on this issue. It is true that Christ asked Christians to turn the other cheek, but he also said in 1 Peter 3:15 "To make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you."
1. Why does god hate amputees? - Where did you get the idea God hates amputees? Where exactly did you read this? Or was it something you heard from someone else?
ReplyDelete2. Biblical Law - In Matthew 5:17-18 it states that Jesus has not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. In context what it implies is that there's things that were foretold long before he came that needed to be done. Secondly, there are laws that govern the world today. There's a reason why the world is still spinning. In addition, for child slavery and whatnot - not everywhere in the world follows the values of the Bible.
3. Eye of a needle - Why can't rich people believe in Jesus? Wouldn't that be like saying that because rich people have money they shouldn't have their own beliefs? Also, the eye of a needle would imply to anyone who wouldn't want to let go of anything that get in the way of a person seeking the heart. Also, Biblically - rich men ruled in those times (David, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph) and they believed in God. Material wealth is called a blessing for a reason.
4. Did god create Cancer and aids - Would you create Cancer and aids if you were God?
5. Bible Revisions - Wouldn't you want an updated dictionary, thesaurus or newspaper?
6. Second Commandment - There's a difference between wearing and watching an item versus worshipping it.
7. Jesus Loves? - What about the other 22 verses before that one? Is it really about child killing here?
8. Allegory - Where in the Bible does it state that the Earth is between 6,000 and 8,000 years old? In addition, are you basing the Earth is that old due to when the documents used in its creation is that old? Also the Bible never states it's an allegory.
9. Witch trials, Inquisitions and crusades - Were these done by Jesus himself?
10. The only real SIN. - Repentance applies to anyone and everyone. He didn't come for the perfect people. He came for the lost, weary and brokenhearted. Regardless of your sin - if you've turned away - what wold that make you?
well, God cares. Just not enough...to make a difference.
ReplyDeleteI love these questions and the hilariously blind answers. Another question to ask is too though, why is the story of jesus so similar and has the same ressurections and born a virgin stories as previous gods, persian, Horas the Sun god, that were created so many years before the birth of Christ? Coincidental, or is this just another revised copy of other religions stories, I mean if the bible can keep being revised.
ReplyDeleteI love these questions and the hilariously blind answers. Another question to ask is too though, why is it that you can not accept the existence of God? Many Atheists say that Christians are very irrational, yet Atheist believe in irrational things.
ReplyDeleteokay bible lover
ReplyDeleteIn the bible ( old testament)
it say the earth is 6000-8000 yrs old.
"In Matthew 5:17-18 it states that Jesus wants Christians to follow the old testament word for word."
BUT WHY ARE SCIENTISTS FINDING 160 000 YEAR OLD SKULLS.
Portions of skulls belonging to people who lived 160,000 years ago. Paleontologists say the discovery adds detail to a crucial period in human evolution, and confirms the hypothesis that modern humans evolved in Africa.
The earth is about 4.54 billion years old. This is not a theory but is a scientific fact. The science behind this fact is not that difficult to understand. Estimates on the age of the earth come from the radiometric dating of materials (rocks) to discover the amount of radioactive decay that has occurred since the materials being "metered" were sequestered inside the rock.
PLEASE EXPLAIN.
WoW! You guys speak like you know what you are talking about. Is this how little we know of this topic that we make these comments?? How many of you read the bible daily? How many of you actually study it? You make these comments but you have no idea. Email me so I can put holes through your questions. Even my fellow christians...please study and know the word before you try and defend it. I have an answer for every question on here. Not one or and kinda answer a real answer for every question. jxclown3@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteyou are correct. A good example when we talk about Christ fulfilling the law. Until about 1820 even the dictionary had fulfill meaning to complete ,to make full, to make done.
DeleteSo God allegedly created Adam from dust, yet he had to resort to putting Adam into a deep sleep, and remove his rib to create woman? Why not just create the woman from dust? Why the surgery and cloning?
ReplyDelete"WE will create man in OUR image"......who is 'we' and 'our'?
No mention of dinosaurs in the Bible. Hmm.
What gives a man/men the right to edit the word of God?
What did the Ark actually contain? Something radioactive?
I believe in God........but I also believe there is much, MUCH more to it than the fairy story the Bible puts out. The Bible was compiled 500 years after the alleged death of Jesus, by men, from oral histories and traditions, and has since been ruthlessly excised and diluted. Much of the Christian practice is borrowed/stolen from pagan traditions, like Easter (which is the pagan Oestarra) and Christmas (which is the pagan Yule). It has been proven that Jesus was born in spring, not in the winter.
Folks, ever hear of the Swoon Theory?
It is very telling when a POPE says, "Don't believe everything you read in the Bible." It is funny to watch people blindly follow (and not dare question) a body of text written by men, not God. It is even funnier when those same Christians assume that their very laws don't apply to them; as in--"Thou shalt not kill"; but they merrily go to war or murder an abortion doctor.
It's ok........they just pray for 'forgiveness' from their 'sins' and it's all good, right?
Hypocrites.
The we and our in that passage is the Trinity: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
DeleteI have 4 questions for you Atheists come to my site and please respond: www.Imthebeggar.com
ReplyDeleteBrothers in Christ, some of you answered with great wisdom and some even proposed a challenge...
ReplyDeleteBut I encorage you to reflect over Matthew 7:6
"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
Most of the so-called questions, if not all, on this blog are simply "red herrings". They are not real questions at all, but attempts to divert attention from the only real question worth debating, i.e., "Does God exist?". But atheists want to whistle throught the graveyard in order not to reveal their own doubts about the answer. Let me just say that most, if not all, of these questions fall into the category of questions like "Can God create a square circle?", or "can God create a stone so heavy that He cannot lift it?". If atheists would study the classical philosophical responses, on both sides, to these more foundational questions, then they would not be so trivial as to ask the question "Why does God hate amputees?". If you don't see the relationship here, you certainly won't understand why they are red herrings, and you absolutely will not understand why your questions are not worth debating.
ReplyDeleteYou Christians in this blog are awesome.... well done, keep it up! Just a word of encouragement, these answers may be awesom and all, but ppl dont care how much you know until the know how much you care!!!
ReplyDeleteIts all about our heart and the lifestyle you live!! I no longer call myself a Christian, because of the Christians...I am not a pew warmer or a self proclaimed church goer...
I am a Jesus freak... Im a follower of Christ! Remember me, with Gods help, I have made a promise to change the world!!
I am a servant of the Lord! I will not rest, I will not give up until every knee bows and every tongue confesses that JESUS IS LORD!!!
Guys and girls, Jesus is calling us to STAND, to make a difference in this world, He commisioned us! Lets do this! LEt the Revolution begin!! We can do it, uniting in love, we can change the world!!! God Bless ya all!!
If any of you have facebook, add me, the_teegster@hotmail.com
I have a question anyone who calls them selves non Christian . Why do you not denounce the 7 day week then ,or the whole calendar? The 7 day week comes from God.
DeleteIm new into the Christian Faith so do not have all the answers...
ReplyDeleteBut I did get a better understanding reading a book called "The Shack" by William P. Young.
I suggest you all read it...
I'm new to the Christian Faith so do not all the answers...
ReplyDeleteBut I did get a better understanding reading a book called "The Shack" by William P. Young.
I suggest each and every one of you read it...
I asked myself this while I considered responding to the original post (as a believer):
ReplyDelete"If I were able to answer all 10 questions to the original poster's utmost satisfaction, would he then accept Christ?".
I thought not. I'm glad I saved us both the time.
Bless you,
Craig
I have heard the saying "Don't take the bible literally...", why the hell is it then written that way? Here's another question; why don't you believe in Zeus, Athena, Aries, etc, or Jupiter, Mars, Apollo, or Krishna, Ganesh, Rama, etc?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDelete"Most of the so-called questions, if not all, on this blog are simply "red herrings". They are not real questions at all, but attempts to divert attention from the only real question worth debating, i.e., "Does God exist?". But atheists want to whistle throught the graveyard in order not to reveal their own doubts about the answer. Let me just say that most, if not all, of these questions fall into the category of questions like "Can God create a square circle?", or "can God create a stone so heavy that He cannot lift it?". If atheists would study the classical philosophical responses, on both sides, to these more foundational questions, then they would not be so trivial as to ask the question "Why does God hate amputees?". If you don't see the relationship here, you certainly won't understand why they are red herrings, and you absolutely will not understand why your questions are not worth debating."
You got my atention fellow.
i have no questions because i got tired of getting nonsenses as answers.
my questions were not "can god create a square circle", were simple questions like "if god is so loving why thousands of children die by starvation every day"
got really tired of listening that god has other plans for those who suffer on earth
no one gives a shit about what happens after death because by that time we will be dead
who cares to go to heaven if no one has returned to say if it's good like you christians say it is?
why we need to die in order to know how that heaven looks like?
but all those questions won't ever have a rational answer while christians keep that weird speech that god is omnipotetnt and omnipresent but only a few chosen can see him.
if you have someone saying "i saw a cat with wings barking" you will take that person to an asylum but you had someone picking up a few old books and making another book with them and saying "here's what god wants us to do so lets follow this words" and got a bunch of sheeps following it as the only truth and when some question come and you don't find an answer then you make up one and call it theology or philosophy.
christianism or any other religion only survives because it's followers are not so intelligent as they think they are. they are a bunch of blind people waiting for a miracle to start seeing again
1. God loves amputees. The lack of considering them as whole people lies with the questioner. You assume that you are a superior person to someone with a disability. The same goes for any physical atribute. Tall/Short, Young/Old, Skinny/Fat, Ugly/Beautiful. All have equal value to God.
ReplyDelete2. We are to obey the Laws of the old testament. Unfortuatly we "the jews" twisted them as we all do because of our sinfull nature. Jesus came to show what living out that law perfectly looked like and then payed for it in full so that we are no longer condemed by it.
3. Being rich in itself is not the issue. Speaking from a place of wealth I have found it difficult to use my "riches" in a way that is honering to God and instead find myself using it for selfish means.
4. Nowhere dose the bible ever speak of this earth being a place without hardships - disasters - deseese and so on. Contraraly "i think i just made that word up?" it does talk a lot about how this life will be hard.
5. Actualy we don't have th originals. But doctern does not differ, and the way we are to live and act is clear across the board and only differes in interperatation. Which is also true about every belief. Even atheism has different people believing different things this is just a way we all are. For example we would say that all Christians believe in Christ or else you wouldn't classify ourself as one. Likewise all Atheists believe that there is no God but some may have convictions about being a veagan and others have strong oppinions about polution still others would have no problem with euthenasia but the still would all be atheists. Unless Atheists have some sort of doctrine they have to follow that I am not aware of.
6. This one is almost insulting :) to you. You should really look up what the verse is actually saying.
7. Again your lack of any biblical understanding makes you point seem somewhat silly. Please research this yourself.
8. If the bible is true we never have to worry about new discoveries in science. For centuries Christians and Atheists alike would have agreed that the earth was flat. Christians could have even shown how the bible shows that... but they were wrong, and it's only in hindsight that it's obvious that we can see that. Passages that might suggest the earth was flat in the bible were just not well understood and that science betters our understanding of scripture. Atheists alike have false beliefs when it comes to science, and when new evidence is put forth that changes the way we look at the natural world we should change our beliefs. I think the church as a whole lags behind because it has a collective reponsability to not let things that are false in and them start teaching them to others. Althought it does mean that as a whole it might continue to teach things that are false untill the new facts are well excepted. For example that the univers is old instead of young.
9. This is a sad and legitimate complaint. Just to be clear by comparasen Atheist philosophy has acounted for a death toll much higher that that. But I think that you should never judge an ideology by it's abuse. You should look at, who has most adhered to the philosiphy. In the case of Christanity that would be Christ.
10. The first part of you question I have thought about several times and have little conclusions, my research on that verse has not gone much past my own thoughts but I bet that there are some great commentaries on it. The second half of your question is yes, Child abusers, rapists and murders all have the same oppertunity of salvation as everyone else. The fact that you put them into a catagory would suggest that you would think that there are things that would disqualify you from God's grace. You seem to be judging what types of things that you deem unforgivable. That if it were up to you and there was a heaven and hell you would cast those people into hell no questions asked. I'm glad you or I for that matter am not God.
Sorry I don't have a URL,
I think it is funny when people say they do not believe In Jesus or the bible , but they are willing to judge others biased on the ten commandments. Or on moral codes from the bible, if they truly think they are what they say then their is no law no way to judge any person because every thing is from their own interpretation based on nothing.
DeleteThank you to those who stands in their belief that He really exists. At this point in time when a lot of people are challenging your Faith, questioning us in His existence, trying to confuse us, it is better not to be deceived! God wants us to follow him and Acknowledge His Son Jesus our saviour.
ReplyDeleteLet's respect each other's religion, after all it is not religion who will save us, rather our faith in Him.
These are decent examples of questions, although a tinge mean spirited. Remember part of what Christians who are out evangelizing are doing is trying to feel better about themselves. They get joy from converting people. They get joy from feeling superior to the non-believers who argue with them and in the process they strengthen their own conviction.
ReplyDeleteChristianity acts as an external locus of control helping people be moral. This is very important for people who do not have an internal locus of control. Even under Christianity there are plenty of terrible people.
Remember as you make these arguments, let the Christians see the goodness in you. Let them see that you can be moral without their book, rules and fear. Stay civil in your arguments it is more likely to shake their faith.
Ah you say moral laws , with out morals then there is no standards so we cannot say Hitler was wrong or mother Teresa was good . We as Christians are not better as humans or above any other human . But I look at the reward. Dose it not make sense to believe in God and what he says? If there is No Judgment there is no difference then. But asked your self this then Why do you wear a seat belt or lock your doors, why do anything that is done for ones protection? For if we die and there and there is nothing then what I believe dose not matter. But I do believe in God and that Jesus died on the cross for my disobedience then why not take that insurance? Do I fear God yes but also I love him. Ah do you break every law of man's or are you fearing the possibility of prison, or death? You say with out their book , which is a reference material, if I can not use any material as a guide then my faith is blind, with no basis. I was born with a severe handicap but I love God and I have done many things out of faith, like I was a volunteer fireman saved many lives I obtained a black belt in martial arts. worked at a electronics firm as a electrical techinication for almost 30 years. and have done many things that seemed impossible for me to do. I did them because I know I had a path to show others. That God had a plan for me , but I have not stopped yet more to come in my blessed life. I hope this has helped to show no matter what there are reasons for things happening
DeleteBecause they were brought up in a Christian culture most likely, if they were Brought up in India they would be Hindu, if they were brought up in the middle east they would be Islamic and so on and so on, they're probably only christians because mum and dad told them to be. Since they were kids they obviously believed their parents the same way you believed them when they said dont play on the road or dont touct the fire place because its hot.
ReplyDeletewow. thats a lot. i would read all that but its basically saying the same thing over and over again.. im pretty sure.. and dont worry, im not an atheist, im a christian. im on the christian team :) anyways im a pastor's daughter so i would pretty much agree wit the other christians about all of this. and funny to say, guess wut? im only 14.. :D hahahahah.. this is interesting..i was looking for questions to ask christians because i was writing like a newspaper thing for my bible class and at the end/last page i wanted to add a response section for the readers to fill out, and i had to think of questions, so.... wow this ended up being... interesting.. hahahahah. maybe i interrupted in this argument.. lol my bad... go on... i dont wna really take part of this. i hav nothin bettr 2 do rite now, so.. actually im stil looking 4 ?s... anyways. cya guys...
ReplyDeleteHIPHOP4EVR
o and if u wna email me:
denim.tiger.58@gmail.com
XOXO
To the post on April 1st, 2008.
ReplyDeleteWas that an April fools joke making fun of people who are seriously stupid like that? O.o
It looks like it is, so I hope you don't mind if I use it in my debate class as examples of why religion isn't a necessity in the world. If I'm wrong and you're actually like that...uhm...sorry?
Maybe you'll read the Bible and look back on this and smack yourself in the head as you take the lords name in vain and laugh about it?
I was the super Christian at my church, they all thought I'd grow up to be their missionary one day, until I read the Bible, now they've shunned me because I wanted to know why God killed all those people and ordered so many unborn babies killed, and woman raped..I'm sixteen, idc if God wants me raped, I don't O.o
So, since I'm now convinced you had to have been playing the Christian idiot that everyone pities, my email is kna1994@yahoo.com if you have anymore funny things like that to say.
Thanks!:)
I think that way some atheists write online is the proof that Cain married his sister. That whole incest thing sure does fog up the thinking.
ReplyDeleteHitler killed more than 5 million people. Fair estimates are between 9-11 million. Lots of those Romanians. Just pointing it out because I figure sooner or later you're going to get a Christian nitpicking it.
ReplyDelete10 Questions to ask an atheist!
ReplyDelete1 - If the universe is self existent and eternal why is there entropy? (heat death) and if it’s not self existent and eternal but self-created what was there before its own existence, where did the matter from which it exploded come from? Can something create itself?
2 - If all operating systems i.e human body (DNA information drives operation, scientific fact) computer programs, financial and banking systems, CNC lathe machines etc, have to have information preloaded in order to work. How did life start operating with no preloaded information?
3 - How is it logical to say physical matter gave rise to life as opposed to saying life gave rise to physical matter? (By the way the Miller Experiment produced left and right hand amino acids which is poisonous to life and not beneficial for life. He did not use oxygen in his chamber. Life cannot start with oxygen and it cannot survive without it, if there was no oxygen at time of life starting then we had no ozone layer! So therefore life cannot start with OR without oxygen, looks like we need God!)
4 - What is energy and where did it come from? (Not what does energy do, not what is its mathematical equivalent) If you says it is the ability to do work then it must have ‘being’ but we know that it does not exist in itself rather you have to concede that energy is simply the power or force exerted by some kind of being.
5 - How does physical matter (hydrogen, oxygen, carbon of which the universe is made) enable human physical matter to have cognitive ability?
6 - If the Universe is finite then how do we have infinite numbers in Mathematics?
7 - How is reason and logic possible if the foundations for true and false are based on human thinking which is flawed and mutable?
8 - How do you account for the judgment of an evil action (this presupposes that you do) if there is no predetermined reference point from which to judge? And if you say “we humans determine that point” then who gets to decide that and why wasn’t I asked what I think it should be?
9 - How do you explain reproduction ability in all life forms if all life forms came from one cell? I.e how did that cell once it supposedly had enough cells after evolving know that in order to stay alive through natural selection that it would have to survive through reproduction and how did it somehow manage to make male and female from one organism? in other words how did the split come about between male and female
10 - How do you explain the irreducibly complex Bacterium flagellum which has 40 moving parts which are all essential to its existence. Those 40 moving parts have a blueprint (DNA) that tells it what to do and those working parts have to ALL be there in order for the cell to operate. Where did they all come from to make that first cell?
I can't believe you are posting something against someone elses faith the only reason we (yes I am a Christian and proud) speak to you about Jesus and God is because we care about you and don't want you to suffer in hell which is real and you will go there if you don't accept Jesus Christ but one way or another you WILL realise that and if it's after you die you will regret ignoring and mocking us Christians I promise! All these questions are invalid and are very stupid (if you think I'm being harsh just imagine how I feel when someone tries to bring down my faith because I am insulted with you hate for Christians ) of course some Christians and churches have different views and twist the bible but you shouldn't compare the perfection of the bible to us Christians who sin everyday we do not think we are better than you we want you to have the same happiness we found when we turned our lives to Jesus when we say we are Christians we are not trying to boast or say we are better than you we are saying we realised how rotten and sinful our lives were and we needed a saviour to wash our sins away I know that if you don't believe in god you never feel you will want to but if you die tonight were will you go? What if I was right and you didn't listen to any of the Christians you thought were preaching at you? Think about it if any body wants to talk to me I don't care if you are a Christian or not or if you just want to mock me or whatever my email is laurenm553@hotmail.co.uk (btw I am a teenager but I will try and answere your questions my family will help )
ReplyDeletehttp://whygodreallyexists.com/archives/questions-for-atheists
ReplyDeleteFucking Americans, hiding behind a god who doesn't care.
ReplyDeleteI am not a Christian. I am a Hindu. But I believe Bible contains spiritual wisdom for those who seek it "earnest"ly (not "earnesthub"ly!)
ReplyDeletePersonally, I found many of these questions shallow, intent on teasing rather than willing to understand.
Since I could not answer them briefly, I have made a Hub: http://hubpages.com/hub/10-questions-to-ask-a-Christian
Those who are interested to know my answers to the queries in support of bible, with a fair doze of comparative wisdom from Hinduism, are welcome to read it.
To the last comment, what about people like me who didn't grow up in a Christian family?? The first time someone sat me down and talked to me about Jesus I laughed at them thinking they were joking. However by the power of the Holy Spirit my whole concept on life changed and 4 years on I'm rock solid in my faith and love Jesus with everything i can muster. It's unfortunate that in spite of the quality answers you've received you still refuse to understand the truth. I'm not here to convert you because seeing your reactions to previous posts it's unlikely you'll give two thoughts to anything I could demonstrate to you. If anything I recommend a book written by Richard Dawkins, one of the world's leading atheists called 'The God Delusion'. Following that an atheist will no doubt feel justified, but then I recommend you to read a series of letters written by David Robertson written in response to Dawkins book. They're called 'The Dawkins Letters: Challenging Atheist Myths'. Have a crack and then see if that would answer any of your questions. Please be open minded in your approach.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Christians in this post, you guys have responded gallantly and it's been very enjoyable reading your responses. Often people under the banner of Christianity will claim to be of faith without demonstrating that in their responses so this has been quite an encouraging read.
God bless everyone in this post.
1. Because God doesn't exist
ReplyDelete2. Because the bible is a work of man made propaganda, edited to suit whoever has power at the time.
3. See answer 2
4. See answer 1
5. See answer 2
6. Because people are sheep as it is within our make up to mimic others to benefit humanity socially.
7. See answer 2
8. This was all the 'great' minds of the time could come up with.
9. All wars in history stem from religion, mainly to eliminate other peoples religions that they viewed either inferior or a threat.
10. See answer 1, so if god doesn't exist, then heaven doesn't exist, therefor there is no judgement.
Wow! What's worse than an Athiest asking a bunch of dumb questions that are all taken out of context of the scripture he's reading? People who proclaim themselves to be Christians and try to answer the Athiest without understanding for themselves what the Bible says. If you "proclaim to be a Christian" and don't believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of God - please don't try to answer these questions - in your attempt to "represent Christianity" - you make us all look like fools. You people don't know what you are talking about.
ReplyDeleteNumber 1 rule for my Athiest friends: The Bible was written to believers for believers and even believers must stay true to the context of the scripture they are reading. So, the reason that you don't understand is because it wasn't written to you. You're reading my mail. When you become a believer you will start to understand the context. For example, I'll answer 2 of your questions - that most of the so-called Christians here failed horribly on (I'm not taking the time to answer all):
Number 6 - you are talking about Exodus 20 verse 4. The problem is that the 2nd Commandment is actually verses 4 thru 6 in which it is talking about "making a graven image to worship as an idol". He had just stated in the 1st Commandment that He is the only God - why would anyone want to make their own little God to worship? That's the point.
Number 8: The "Modern Church" is wrong. This is not an Allegory - the Bible teaches it as fact and I believe it as fact. So many "so-called Christians" are so afraid of being labeled an idiot by the "scientific community" that they do not want to agree with what the Bible says - so they make excuses. But, some day soon you will know the truth and the truth is that the scientific community is wrong - the Earth is not millions of years old and for anyone who believes in the Adam and Eve account but cannot accept a young Earth fact - I can answer that issue for you in one question - How old was Adam when God created him? He didn't create him as a baby - he created him as a full grown man. So, being only minutes old he looked probably 30 years old. So, being young he created things that look old - why is that so hard to understand?
And to the fool that asked the Cain's wife question (as most fools do) - whether it was his sister or not. Of course it was. The Bible didn't list the female children born to Adam and Eve. DNA scientists actually believe and state that the Mother of all Life (which they also call Eve but, they believe she was some half monkey / half human) would have had to have had a perfect strain of DNA and that her children for generations would have been able interbreed without an problems of retardation or deformation - but, eventually the DNA would break down and those things would happen if they continued down a straight brother sister course. But, either way if you believe in evolution or Adam and Eve, at some point there had to be a perfect host.
Fantastic quoteing of richard hawkins
ReplyDeleteWhen you read things out of context of course they will make no sense. I think it would be wiser to do so in order to at least put up and argument. Sorry if this offended you but I will be praying for you.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to ask some questions back.
ReplyDeleteTry this for size, all of you, please: atheists should just leave the religious alone and continue to live a life full of their own wonder, making, FUN and freedom. It just makes the religious envious because they (the atheists) are having the time of their (ONE) life on this planet and are not WASTING time, breath, energy, money and just about everything else like the religious, who are just indoctrinated to do. They act, speak and behave (judgementally; it's a damnable doctrine, really and truly) like they do because they can only clutch at straws and feel like they have to at least TRY to defend their indefensible faith. Failing all of that, just remind the religious that there is no point, no meaning, no ability and nothing at all fair about trying to enter into RATIONAL discussion and debate because, simply put, the words GOD and RATIONAL cannot be used in the same sentence. Athiests 1: Religious 0. Sorry, but that's the difficult truth right there. Please continue to believe in your ridiculous fairy tales and have whatever suspension of disbelief you all clearly need to feel like your existence is of any importance and justified. Sad, very sad indeed. Just believe whatever you want but DON'T try to ram it down my throat, thank you very much. This includes all levels of government and education, too. Keep your beliefs private and contained. I don't wish to feel any more contaminated than I am already forced to feel owing to the religious right and you can damn well keep it away from all of our children, too. Enough of all the lying and make-believe. Remember, that which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence, as the great Hitchens once said. Now off you trot, please; you have another soul (mine) to pray for, heathen that I must be. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteGod created the whole earth and everyone in it.....yet how come, there is no reference in the bible, old or new testament, to other races or tribes outside of the middle-east and close continental countries. I have never read anything about Aborigines in Australia (who by the way have 30,000 years of historical reference about their existence), or the tribes on easter island, Hawaii, South America.....et al. Back then they knew very little, if anything at all about the rest of the world so therefore it was not included in the bible (i would have thought at least god would know since he apparently created them all, but hey) Their little world was all they knew. So when god decided to flood the earth to kill everyone except Noah, his family and the animals, what consideration did he have for the rest of the world who were not involved in the little middle eastern tiff??
ReplyDeleteFor those of you who think that there was no other life on earth apart from that in the middle east at the time of the flood, and deny the historical evidence of many tribes prior, then I ask you: Why did Jesus not visit these tribal people when he was alive only 2000 years ago? Why does the bible not mention them or even elude to their existence in the New testament?
For zzo38....Its too hard for god to grow back limbs yet he can create the earth and universe and all life in the blink of an eye?? really? he must be having an off day
For anonymous who said he/she knows people who have personally seen and heard limbs grow back. Well, I have a friend of a friend that has 100% verification of the existence of UFO's, with video and audio verified by NASA. Now prove it !!!!
Did you know, the Bible is 2/3 prophecy and 2/3 of the prophecies have came true?
ReplyDeleteWhen the Bible is wrong is when nonbelievers will have a voice!
Until that happens (never) you have a Creator, mankind has always called Him God. God has a son named Jesus that was born to a virgin and died for our sins. More importantly, He has resurrected and is alive and loves you very much. *ALL* knees will bow to Him, we choose to do it while we're still on earth.
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ReplyDeleteI was a Christian for 16 years. I studied a lot and know theology quite well. The more I studied the more the Christian responses to questions like the 10 here seemed week to me and without biblical backing. I still believe in God and that he sent his Messiah but God has opened my eyes to the contradictions of the christian theology that so many are blind to. Peoples statements to the question about the law and Jesus fulfillment of the law is plain out wrong. Christianity doctrine has taught you what fulfillment there means not the bible. Gods perfect law still stands today. I think all the atheists here have enough evidence not to believe the word of God because of how badly MANS ways have corrupted Gods ways! They see the contradictions that you "believers" don't. 119 ministries has great resources that teach the truth of the bible without contradiction. I challenge any believer or atheist to test against their theology to what is taught there. If you believe the bible to be truth your truth must be consistent with the word of God. The christian answers given here are far from truth. They are indoctrinated answers.
ReplyDeletewhy was my post that I took a long time to post 2 months ago not posted ?
ReplyDelete