Answers to Questions

"Does Michael Martin's "Atheist's Wager" really show that leading a good life is more important than belief in God?"

No, it doesn't. I'll explain. According to Wikipedia (at the time of this writing), the Atheist's Wager states that if one were to analyze their options in regard to how to live their life, they would arrive at the following possibilities: (A) You may live a good life and believe in a god, and a benevolent god exists, in which case you go to heaven: your gain is infinite.
Read more

"If our choices are predetermined, how are they real choices? And how are we accountable?"

We know that our choices are predetermined because we, and everything in our world, was made by God, who knows all things and is also the author of time. He thus logically predetermines, and causes, our choices. So then, how are they "real" choices? That depends on what "real" means. If "real" means "not predetermined," then our predetermined choices are obviously not "real" choices.
Read more

"What's an easy way to show that Mormonism is false?"

An extraordinarily important, core aspect of the Mormon faith is the concept of "free agency." Jesus Christ exercised free agency, Satan exercised it, and we also exercise it. Their "free agency" seems to be identical to what others refer to as "libertarian free will." Unlike many other Christian groups, Mormons correctly realize that their concept of "free agency" cannot be correct if we, and everything around us, were actually entirely created by God.
Read more

"Does the "problem of evil" show that an all-good, all-powerful, all-knowing god cannot exist?"

The "problem of evil" generally goes something like this. 1. If God had all-power over our universe, he would have been able to prevent the wickedness of Adolf Hitler. 2. If God had all-knowledge of our universe, he would have known how to prevent the wickedness of Adolf Hitler. 3. If God were morally good, he would have wanted to prevent the wickedness of Adolf Hitler. 4. Adolf Hitler was wicked in our universe. 5.
Read more

"What is an easy way to demonstrate that open theism is false?"

Open theism is the belief that god exists, but does not know the future outcomes of human choices. Instead, he finds out about them when they happen. Open theism renders all human conclusions completely irrational. A god who does not know what the future holds clearly did not design the future. And if he did not design the future, then there is no good reason to believe that it must behave in the way he wants it to behave.
Read more

"Can non-Christian views be internally consistent?"

Non-Christian worldviews cannot be internally consistent. While the above statement is true, proving it is a different matter. However, its truth follows from the basics of the Christian faith. Since, in Christian theology, the Christian God is understood to be necessary, any deviation from that which is necessary would be impossible, entailing a logical contradiction.
Read more

"Does Matthew 23:37 say that we have free will?"

Matthew 23:37 has Christ lamenting over Jerusalem, saying, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!" A claim frequently made is that Christ, God the Son, wants something in particular, and yet because the people of Jerusalem wanted the opposite, Christ does not get what He wants.
Read more

"If god cannot lie, how is he omnipotent?"

God's omnipotence, as I understand it, entails that everything that has happened, is happening, or will happen, is caused by Him. This necessitates that it is impossible for anything to occur, past, present, or future, that was not ultimately caused by Him.
Read more

"Does Ezekiel 33:11 say we have free-will?"

Ezekiel 33:11 states, "Say to them, 'As I live!' declares the Lord GOD, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?'" I do not see this as necessitating autonomous human free-will. Instead, I actually see it as requiring the opposite.
Read more

"Is God omnibenevolent?"

The answer, as with most questions, depends on how one defines the terms. If "omnibenevolence" means that God is always and perfectly desiring "the good", then yes, God is omnibenevolent (Mark 10:18; Romans 12:2). If, on the other hand, it means that God is always and only desiring the eternal and ultimate happiness of all humans, then no, God is not omnibenevolent (1 Samuel 15:2-3; Genesis 6:7).
Read more

"If, as you claim, morality is obeying god, how do you know that obeying god is good? Isn't that totally circular?"

If morality is obeying god, then obeying god is morality. If we grant the former, then the latter follows by tautological necessity. Is it circular? Insofar as tautologies are circular, sure. Here is another circular tautology: If 2 + 2 = 4, then 4 = 2 + 2. Totally circular. Malachi 3:18; Romans 4:15, 5:13; 1 John 3:4.
Read more

"Are all presuppositions equally valid? If not, how does one determine which are more valid than others?"

Internal consistency is the most common method I know of for determining the truth value of presuppositions. The test of internal consistency is what presuppositional reasoning is all about. If, for example, a view presupposes "A" and "not-A" at the same time and in the same way, then, in that worldview, reasoning, knowledge, learning, meaning, morality, science, mathematics -- everything -- becomes utterly incoherent.
Read more

"Isn't it the case that, rather than presupposing god as it claims to, the presuppositional view actually presupposes logic and reason?"

Every human presupposes the possibility of coming to rationally justified conclusions. Presuppositionalists recognize this fact. However, any belief ultimately caused without reason is ultimately held to irrationally. Under most worldviews, all human beliefs are ultimately caused without reason. This demonstrates the irrationality of atheism, polytheism, pantheism, and unitarianism, as well as empiricism.
Read more

"Is unitarianism true or false?"

Unitarianism, as opposed to Trinitarianism, is the view that divine sovereignty is not shared in any way. Effectively, in unitarian views, there is not only just one God, but He is only revealed through just one person. In Trinitarian Christianity, the one God is revealed through three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Read more

"Can you know anything independently of what god has revealed to you?"

The short answer is no. But depending on exactly how the words in the question are defined, that could make a difference in how the question is answered. KNOWLEDGE Knowledge is generally understood to at least require justified, true belief. It may entail more than that, but it at least requires those elements. What this means is that if someone is justified in believing something, but that something is false, then it cannot correctly be said that they "know" it.
Read more

"Is there any proof that God exists?"

Yes. The existence of human reason cannot be ultimately explained by appealing to non-rational causes. It can only be ultimately explained by appealing to rational causes. Why does a calculator claim that 1 + 1 = "2" instead of "73" or "the color green"? Why do we trust the assertions of a calculator when we need an accurate answer? Alternatively, how would a Magic-8-Ball answer those same questions?
Read more

"How can man be blamed for his inbred sin when he did not ask to be born or even exist?"

Think about your favorite fictional book, or your favorite movie. If you're anything like me, your favorite story probably has a bad guy in it. The bad guy does bad things. And if the story is any good, then at the end of it, the villain either gets thrown in prison, or he's killed by the good guys, or else he turns away from his bad behavior and becomes good.
Read more

"If everything was created by God, was Buddha also created by God? Buddha actually denied the existence of a single being that dominates/governs the whole world. Did Buddha go to hell for denying his existence?"

Siddhartha Gautama, or Buddha, was created by God, yes. Everyone who is not God was created by God (Genesis 1:27; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Isaiah 46:9), and God cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18), and is never wrong (Colossians 2:3; John 21:17; 1 John 3:20). If Buddha claimed there is no ultimate creator God, then either he was wrong or he was lying, thereby identifying himself as not-that-god, since God cannot lie and is never wrong.
Read more

"If there is a God, but there is no evidence to be found for his existence except subjective experiences, is it not reasonable to assume that if he does exist, he does not want us to know about it?"

The conclusion does not seem reasonable to me. First, the premise is very unclear, and I will explain what I mean. Second, in the only way I can see that the premise could be considered true, the conclusion does not seem to be reasonably based on it. AN UNCLEAR PREMISE First, the premise seems unclear in that it seems to suggest that evidence is the only way to justifiably be convinced of something. But note that rational thought cannot exist without reason behind it.
Read more

"What's an easy way to demonstrate that polytheism is false?"

If two equally sovereign creator gods disagree on any point, noncontradiction is no longer a valid test of truth. Without noncontradiction, there can be no test of truth at all, and rational thought goes out the window. But the problem is worse than that. Since the gods are equally sovereign, neither is in control of the other one. This means that neither one can guarantee the behavior of the other one.
Read more

"Would it be immoral NOT to kill a baby if god commanded it?"

Certainly. To anyone who would say otherwise, I would like to ask who exactly do you say defined our moral obligations? Who issued the moral commands that you feel we ought to obey? Did you? Or did someone else? If you did, why would you think they would apply to me? You didn't create me. Why would you think they would apply to all babies? You didn't create all babies either. If someone else did, did this other person create me? Did this other person create babies?
Read more

"Why?"

God. (John 1:3; Acts 17:24-25; Colossians 1:16-18; Genesis 1:1; Malachi 3:18; Revelation 21:6, 22:13; Psalm 135:6; Isaiah 48:11) Since God knows that He alone is the reason, and since He is perfectly rational (indeed, He is the original rationality and the foundation and source of all derived rationality), when He conceives of His reason (which is always), His conception is the very image of Himself. This conception of Himself is the divine, eternal, personal reason for all things.
Read more

"How can chaos create order? That's impossible without intelligent direction. Atheism is emotional, not intellectual."

Precisely: atheism is emotional, not intellectual. Atheism denies any rational source for our intellect, thereby denying the rationality of rationality. It prohibits any possible reason for reasoning. It necessitates an absolute rejection of justified belief and thus, a rejection of intelligence altogether.
Read more

"What would you say to members of Islamic State and al-Qaeda?"

Repent. You owe your lives to your Creator, and each and every sin you have committed is a moment you have stolen from Him. You can never get those moments back, so you can never pay the debt you owe Him. As long as you continue to try to earn His favor, you are guaranteed to fail. But there is hope. God Himself has provided a solution -- a way you can actually be right with Him. And it appears to me that the Qur'an itself points the way.
Read more

"Do you believe that a human can voluntarily turn to god of her own will?"

Absolutely. Abel chose of his own will to offer a sacrifice to God and through it obtained witness that he was righteous (Hebrews 11:4). Noah chose of his own will to build an ark for the saving of his household in obedience to God (Hebrews 11:7). Abraham chose of his own will to obey God by going to a new land that God had yet to show him, not even knowing where he was going (Hebrews 11:8).
Read more

"If God condemned people to Hell because of free will, yet He wanted to save them, would that mean He isn't capable of saving them?"

If "free will" means that the activities of the human will are not in any way caused by the God who created the humans, then humans do not have free will. The idea of a God who causes people to exist, which people then in turn cause events to occur, and said events are not in any way caused by the aforementioned God, is completely incoherent. I cannot answer the question, because as I understand it, it is meaningless.
Read more

"Do you think atheists go to hell, why or why not?"

Yes. If the atheist does not change his ways, acknowledge his own disobedience toward his Creator, and ask God for forgiveness, he can expect to spend forever in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 21:8; cf Luke 12:46; Hebrews 11:6; Galatians 3:22; John 1:12, 3:3, 3:18, 8:24, 20:31; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 1:21; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Revelation 20:15). We owe our lives to our Creator. But we don't give Him His due.
Read more

"How do fossils exist if the Earth is supposedly 6000 years old?"

The vast majority of the fossils we find on this planet are the result of the catastrophic global flood around 2350 BC, recorded in Genesis 6-8, and memories of which remain throughout the histories and traditions of cultures around the world. The "billions of dead things buried in rock layers laid down by water all over the earth" are a very clear testament to the accuracy of the Biblical narrative, and to the results of human sin and rebellion against God (Genesis 6:5, 6:12, 6:17).
Read more

"Do you think that education is the solution? In other words, would people agree with your view if they just had more knowledge? Is the problem basically one of ignorance?"

No. Education is not the solution because ignorance is not the problem. Sin is the problem; pride, selfishness, self-centeredness, self-glorification, and the like are what lead people to reject the God who made them. Rejection of God's commands leads to a world of pain, famine, disease, war, and ultimately death. Learning more facts will never solve the problem of "I want", or the problem of "Me, me, me".
Read more

"Could Christ have prevented his alleged crucifixion? If he could have but didn't, wasn't that suicide?"

"Could Christ have prevented his alleged crucifixion?" Generally, this type of question, "could someone have done other than what they did?" ultimately means, "was there a point at which the singular cause of the event was the will of the person involved?" If I have correctly understood the intent of the questioner, the answer is absolutely (John 10:18). "If he could have but didn't, wasn't that suicide?
Read more

"It seems when we examine real objects close enough, they become illusory at the quantum level. Also, the self seems to be an illusion in the strictest sense. Yet it is also real since it exists. What is the difference between reality and illusion?"

Both "reality" and "illusion" are simply words. As words, they carry the definitions that their speakers intend for them to have, and that their listeners read into them. What this means is that "reality" and "illusion" both have multiple meanings, and their definitions in a particular circumstance must be determined by context. For example, I could say that my brother is real, a part of reality. I could say that Tom Sawyer is not real.
Read more

"How would you respond to Stephen Law's Evil God Challenge?"

Atheist Stephen Law challenges monotheists everywhere to explain "why the good god hypothesis should be considered significantly more reasonable than the evil god hypothesis". Most classical theistic arguments for the existence of God, Dr. Law claims, even if successful in proving an omnipotent and omniscient God, do nothing to speak to His moral character.
Read more

"If God is "just is", then why can't the universe "just be"?"

God has made it clear that this is not the case (Genesis 1:1, 2:4; Isaiah 42:5, 45:8, 45:18; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:11, 10:6), and since He is perfectly knowledgeable (Job 37:16; Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 46:9-10; John 21:17; 1 John 3:20), perfectly honest (Exodus 34:6; 2 Samuel 7:28; Psalm 31:5, 57:10; John 1:14, 1:17, 14:6; Ephesians 4:21; Hebrews 6:18), and perfectly sovereign (1 Chronicles 29:14; Job 41:11; Psalm 119:91, 135:6; Ecclesiastes 11:5; Mark 10:27; John 1:3, 5:44;...
Read more

"Would you explain to me how we know that Matthew 21v22 (where Jesus promises that we will receive anything we ask for in prayer) cannot be taken literally?"

Matthew 21, verse 22 can and should be taken literally. Let's look at the passage in context: And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.
Read more

"According to Christianity, do those of Jewish faith go to hell for not accepting that Jesus was the Son of God?"

Yes. Everyone has earned their place in hell, myself included (Romans 3:23, 6:23; Revelation 21:8). The only way that God has provided for us to get out of what we deserve is by trusting in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10; John 6:29). Everyone who denies Jesus their entire life is in turn denied by Jesus before His Father in heaven -- Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Atheist, Agnostic, etc (Matthew 10:33).
Read more

"If creation happened about 5000 years ago, then how come a supernova was seen in 1987, but it was located 170,000 lightyears away?"

The study of light and its speed is a complex undertaking that physicists have not even nearly completed. Does light travel at different fixed speeds in either direction of a round trip? Has its speed always been what it appears to be today? Can anything material travel faster than it? No physicist alive seems to know the answers to these questions for certain. But God does.
Read more

"By what criteria do you attribute veracity to your faith's sacred text(s,) and thus the basis of that faith? Is that criteria objective?"

Christians accept the Bible as authoritative and true for a variety of reasons. INDIVIDUAL, PERSONAL CONVICTION As Jesus states, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27). When God brings us to Christ, we recognize our Master's message, both spoken and written. God Himself causes this to be the case. If He has chosen you to receive His mercy, you will also recognize His message.
Read more

"Apologeticspress.org and CARM.org disagree on whether baptism is needed for salvation. Both are Christian and both quote the Bible in support. Who is right and why?"

Water baptism is not a prerequisite for salvation. The apostle Paul, writing in the Book of Romans, chapter 4, focusing in on verses 9-10, provides an argument that the process of physical circumcision, the cutting off of the male foreskin, a practice commanded under the law of Moses, is not necessary to be made acceptable to God. While circumcision and baptism are not to be equated, the argument Paul makes is applicable to both. His argument can be presented as follows: P1.
Read more

"What is your standard of truth? How do you determine what is true?"

1. God Himself is the standard of truth. (John 14:6; Exodus 34:6; 2 Samuel 7:28; Psalm 25:10; Isaiah 65:16; Ephesians 4:21; Titus 1:2; 1 John 5:6) 2. Because of this, when God reveals things to us, we know that what He reveals is true. The Bible stands as an authoritative communication to us from God Himself, and we can often discern truth or falsehood simply by comparing a particular claim with Biblical revelation.
Read more

"Did Jesus preach non-violent submission?"

Jesus preached faith in Himself. Sometimes, this involves non-violent submission. Other times, it involves the use of violence and uprising. Christ taught that He Himself was God in the flesh (John 6:51-54, 8:58, 10:30, 14:7-9). This means that according to Him, His teachings and God's teachings are one-in-the-same (John 5:19). Therefore, if God commands either non-violent submission, or violent uprising, then Jesus also commands these same things.
Read more

"Why does God require an argument to defend it, unlike something obvious like gravity for example?"

According to the Bible, God does not require an argument to prove His existence to anyone; rather, everyone is inherently already well aware of His existence, because He has made us aware. Romans 1, verses 18-20 state, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
Read more

"How do we know that God(s) still exists today? "

God created time (Genesis 1:1; 2 Corinthians 4:18; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 11:3; Jude 1:25). As the One Who created time, He is inherently atemporal (or omnitemporal depending upon which aspect of His eternality we are emphasizing) (Deuteronomy 33:27; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 9:14). Given this, He is definitively always the same (Exodus 3:14; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17). If He is always the same, He cannot cease to exist.
Read more

"Would you accept that, had you been born in Saudi Arabia, you would more than likely be defending the Quran and Allah with the same vehemence that you now defend Christ?"

Absolutely not: if I were born in Saudi Arabia, reality would be incoherent. The only things that can happen are the things God has willed to cause to happen. If these things did not happen, it would only be because God willed not to cause them to happen. God only causes that which He prefers to cause, so for Him to have caused other than what He has caused, He would have to prefer other than what He prefers. However, He is who He is, and He cannot deny Himself (Exodus 3:14; 2 Timothy 2:13).
Read more

"Why does religion 'permit' murder and why are people so eager to justify murders their people commited?"

The dictionary defines murder as "the killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law". I will, throughout this answer, use this definition as what I am referring to when I use the word "murder", and I will assume that this is the definition in view by the questioner. When humans deny their Creator, the God of the Bible, there is no longer any objective moral authority, or highest moral law.
Read more

"Your god, in his own holy book, admits to having created evil (Isaiah 45:7). Why then should I worship him?"

In Isaiah 45:7, the KJV translates the Hebrew word "rah" as "evil". More modern English translations often opt for the word "calamity" instead. Either one of these translations is viable and could be the intended meaning of the passage. However, that God is ultimately the Uncaused First Cause of all sinful actions is clear from both scripture and reason, so even if the verse cited does not make the point, the general concept behind the question remains.
Read more

"I'd like to hear an explanation to any of these questions without referencing the bible. For those of us that don't believe I the inerrancy of that Bronze-aged text, it would be refreshing."

You want an authoritative Christian answer that doesn't appeal to Christianity's authority? Interesting idea. Let me think on it for a little bit... Hmmm... No. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9; Joshua 1:8, 23:6; 1 Kings 2:3; Psalm 1:2; Proverbs 7:1; Matthew 4:4-10; Mark 12:24; Luke 1:3, 10:26, 11:28, 16:29, 24:27; John 21:24; Acts 17:11, 18:28; 1 Corinthians 2:13, 14:37; Ephesians 6:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:21; Revelation 1:3, 22:19)
Read more

"If God really did create everything, how would anyone know?"

From a Christian perspective, we recognize that God created everything because He has told us that He did (Romans 1:19; Genesis 1; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16); indeed, apart from divine revelation, it is impossible to know anything at all. After all, since God created everything, and "everything" includes knowledge, our knowledge is ultimately created by God, and God's provision of knowledge to us is the very definition of divine revelation.
Read more

"How can someone who is changeless do anything at all?"

The Bible states that God spoke and created light on the first day of creation (Genesis 1:3). On subsequent days He created other elements of the universe, and on the seventh day He rested (Genesis 2:2). The Bible also tells us that God does not change (Malachi 3:6; Psalm 102:27; Isaiah 46:4). To many, this seems to be contradictory. It isn't.
Read more

"Why do Christians accept the Torah?"

Christians accept the Pentateuch and the rest of the Old Testament because Jesus, who is God in the flesh, accepts and teaches them (Matthew 4:4, 4:7, 4:10, 8:4; Mark 7:10, 10:2-3, 12:26; Luke 16:31, 20:37, 24:27, 24:44; John 1:45, 3:14, 5:45-46, 7:22). Jesus was born into the tribe of Judah, a legal descendent of King David of Israel, as a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (1 Kings 9:5; Luke 1:32).
Read more

"The Quran does not say the tree was a tree of knowledge, but the Bible does. The Bible also makes Adam's deed a sin, Quran says not. Why is acquiring knowledge a sin in your book, and why is it so bad all subsequent generations are supposedly damned?"

Genesis 2:16-17 The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." The tree was indeed a tree of knowledge according to the Bible. However, it was not just any kind of knowledge -- it was, specifically, "knowledge of good and evil".
Read more

"How do you explain your god's genocidal bloodlust in Deut 7 1-2?"

Deuteronomy 7:1-2 When the LORD your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, and when the LORD your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them.
Read more

"Honest answer: is your world view determined by knowledge or by belief?"

The short answer is that all of our worldviews, yours and mine and everyone's, are determined by God (Romans 9:18; Ephesians 1:11). But I suppose this answer then leads to the question, "what method did God use to cause you to have the worldview you have... did He do it by giving you knowledge or by causing you to believe apart from knowledge?" The Bible teaches that we all have a knowledge of some basic theological truths. Namely, we all know that there is a God.
Read more

"I'm not a Christian. Why doesn't God directly confront me about the error of my ways?"

Assuming what you say is true, that you are not a Christian, and that God has not in fact directly confronted you about the error of your ways, it may be because you are already aware of the error of your ways. The problem humanity is faced with, according to the Bible,
Read more

"If God doesn't change over time, can He know tensed facts? If not, how is He omniscient?"

A tensed fact is a fact that is true in relation to present experience, but has no universal or permanent truth value. "Yesterday was July 26th", "today is Wednesday", or "I got a new job last month" are all tensed facts. Some people believe that God must know tensed facts to be omniscient. William Lane Craig formulates a hypothetical argument that God is not timeless as follows: 1. A temporal world exists. 2. God is omniscient. 3.
Read more

"How do you know your god is good, and is not actually a satan making us think he is good?"

We know this because the contrary is impossible... We know that God necessarily exists because of the impossibility of the contrary. We also know that God is good and that He cannot deny Himself for the same reason. We know that we ought to behave in a certain way, and we know that we became aware of these oughts as a result of God's personal choice. In other words, He informed us of them.
Read more

"Why did your omniscient and omnipotent god think it was a good idea to use a BOOK to relay his vitally important message to mankind?"

Interestingly enough, the book of Romans informs us that all we need to know about God has been revealed to us individually as part of our created essence, or nature, or being. Romans 1:18-20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
Read more

"You say god cannot lie? He said that Adam and Eve would die if they ate from the 'Tree'.. yet they did not die. He said nothing about sin, he said that they would die."

Genesis 2:16-17 (NASB) The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." At first glance, it is difficult to see how this was true, according to the Genesis narrative. After all, the day that Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree, they didn't fall down dead.
Read more

"What's an easy way to demonstrate that Atheism is false?"

If Atheism is true, then Everything is ultimately the direct result of purely random, uncoordinated and undependable accidents. Note that "Everything" includes Our Conclusions. If Our Conclusions are ultimately the direct result of purely random, uncoordinated and undependable accidents, then Our Conclusions are entirely random and undependable. No Atheist believes that his own conclusions are random and undependable, so no Atheist really believes in Atheism.
Read more

"Your previous answer states that you agree that homosexual people should be executed. This conflicts with the commandment "Thou shalt not kill". Justify this please."

Actually, my answer was that those who disobey God deserve to be executed, including myself. So, rephrasing your question slightly, how is it then that anyone "should" be executed when no one is allowed to kill? The short answer is that the prohibition against killing humans is a general rule or principle that holds for all humans and all animals (Genesis 9:5-6) unless God specifically commands otherwise.
Read more

"Would you please provide step-by-step logic, or point me to where I might find it, for your statements about atheism and polytheism?"

Sure. Here is how I see it. First, we demonstrate that infinite regress is incoherent. 1. Infinite Regress is logically incoherent. Infinite regress would mean that we have completely iterated, one-by-one, through every single item of an infinite series. If we were to go backwards through each previous item, and there were an infinite number of past items, there would necessarily be some item in the set of previous items that we would never, ever get to.
Read more

"Re: your answer to my question "Should homosexuals be executed?". There is a clear conflict with Matt 7:1 and Rom 12:19. Discuss."

Matthew 7:1-5 "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye?
Read more

"How could Adam and Eve reproduce if neither were married, nor involved in the church to be married? And don't say anything about "God put Eve on earth to love" because the Christians believe that you must be married to have sex."

Eve was created as Adam's wife. In Genesis 2:24-25, speaking of Adam and Eve immediately after the special creation of Eve, we read "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
Read more

"Is there a question to which you all would give the same - or almost the same - answer?"

I certainly can't speak authoritatively for the opinion of anyone other than myself, but it seems to me that everyone can easily be convinced to agree that if something is, then it is; and also that nothing can both be and not be at the same time and in the same way. In other words, the Laws of Logic are valid. An interesting point to note, however, is that holding to the Laws of Logic can only be rationally justified under Christian assumptions.
Read more

"Why does the creator of the entire universe get the value of pi wrong (2 Chron 4: 2)?"

God didn't get Pi wrong. Rather, He rounded to the nearest cubit. "Also he made the cast metal sea, ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits and its circumference thirty cubits." -2 Chronicles 4:2 If we were to write down the whole value of Pi, or in this case, Pi times 10, we would never finish writing. Therefore, whenever anyone, Creator of the universe or not, writes down the value of Pi for us to read, it is always rounded.
Read more

"Can there be objective morality with a God? If God is the source of morality, then morality is subject to the will of God, so isn't it by definition subjective?"

There can only be objective moral values with God. When we state that objective moral values exist, what we mean is that there are moral values that govern all humans, regardless of whether or not those humans want those values to govern them, like those values, or accept those values. If moral values were the result of popular vote, then they would only govern humans because humans had decided to allow them to govern them. Then moral values would not be objective, but rather, subjective.
Read more

"Do you truly believe, as your god commands, that homosexuals should be stoned to death (Lev 20:13)?"

Those who practice homosexual behavior definitely deserve to be executed (Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:22-27). And so do all the rest of us (Exodus 22:20; Psalm 14:3; Romans 1:28-2:8, 3:23; Galatians 5:19-21). The amazing thing is that our perfect God who demands perfect justice for all of our crimes has provided a willing and sinless substitute for us (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 4:10). That would include those who have practiced homosexual behavior (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
Read more

"Should modern mainstream religions be considered cults?"

Modern mainstream religions could be considered "cults", and every form of Atheism could as well. But why should it matter if that particular term can be applied? Why would we want to call every modern mainstream religion a "cult" apart from a desire to provoke some type of defensive emotional reaction from religious persons? And why would anyone be interested in manipulating such a reaction?
Read more

"How can God be an uncaused cause?"

There is no other logical possibility. Either some things are caused, or nothing is. If nothing is caused, then I never wrote this. But I did write this, so at least some things are caused. If some things are caused, either their causing is the result of a previous cause, or it isn't. In other words, either something caused it to cause, or nothing caused it to cause.
Read more

"Why does God change His mind so much? (Gen 6:7; Exd 32:14; Jdg 2:18; 1 Sam 15:35; Jhn 3:10 etc)"

Below are the verses cited in the question. John 3:10 doesn't seem to fit the question, so I assume it was a typo. Nonetheless, the other verses should more than suffice to make the point the questioner intended. Genesis 6:7 The LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.
Read more

"Can you conceive of any specific thing that, if it happened, would cause you to change your position on the God issue? If so, what is it? If not, then why not?"

No. I could certainly modify my positions on specific minor issues if it were demonstrated to me that scripture, or plain logic not contradicting scripture, were opposed to my views. But that would be it. My worldview will not change because I know Jesus. When you know someone, you know that you know them. People can try their hardest to convince you that you don't, but you do. I know Christ and I recognize the work of the Holy Spirit in me (John 10:27, 14:26).
Read more

"Couldn't God have given us free will without giving us the desire to sin?"

No. That would entail a logical contradiction. Let me explain. If God had given us free will (the ability to choose, or to choose otherwise), we would then be able to choose to do other than what we prefer to do. However, if we are choosing other than what we prefer, then we are choosing to do something against our will. This would be logically contradictory -- to will to do something that you did not will to do. God has not given us this type of free will, nor could He have.
Read more

"God knowing in advance how I will use my free will means that god knows which events will lead to me being religious, and which to me being atheist. If God does exist, then doesn't his choice to set forth the latter mean he wanted me to be atheist?"

Yes. God has designed each person for His purposes (Romans 9:21). Some people are designed for judgement and others are designed for forgiveness (Romans 9:22-23). All of us are designed to sin (Romans 3:23, 8:28). This magnifies His graciousness; His perfectly just nature; and His eternal Godhood. Whether or not God plans on you remaining an Atheist and ultimately being judged for your willing rejection of obvious and clearly revealed truths, I have no idea (Romans 1:20; Psalm 14:1).
Read more

"Since there can be no evidence for something that can't be measured, is it at least fair to say that there is no empirical evidence for god, and therefore no reason to believe he exists?"

If there is no reason to believe something that can't be measured, why would anyone believe that "there is no reason to believe something that can't be measured"? This argument is self-defeating. If we accept it, we must apply it to itself. Once we apply it to itself, we see that it does not meet its own criteria. Then, we must reject it. In other words, if we accept your argument, we must reject your argument on its own terms. I hope this is clear. God bless.
Read more

"According to the bible, God created earth before our sun. How would you justify that? That sounds illogical."

We read about God's creation of the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1. Genesis 1:9-10 (The Third Day) Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.
Read more

"If God created everything and decided how it would be, wouldn't our sins be his fault?"

The word "fault" means a defect or an imperfection. God has no defects or imperfections, and it is nonsensical to suggest that the contrary could be true, for if God had defects or imperfections, they would not be recognized as defects or imperfections by anyone, including Him, and thus to call them defects or imperfections would be utterly meaningless. Further, if God were anything other than perfect-in-every-way, nothing could be trusted at all since He is the source of everything.
Read more

"Can justice be done using punishment of infinite nature for a transgression of finite nature?"

Ultimately there is no other way to do it as long as we are the ones paying the price. In the end, it all comes down to a simple math problem. If God grants me 80 years to serve Him with, and I only serve Him for 79 of those years, then I owe God one year of service: 80 - 79 = 1 If I insist on paying God back rather than accepting His offer of forgiveness through Christ, how will I pay Him back for the one year in which I did not serve Him perfectly?
Read more

"I read these two verses and I think the Christian god cannot make up their mind the two verses are Ezek 24:14 and Jonah 3:10. Can you refute this?"

Here are the scriptures in question. Ezekiel 24:14 "I, the LORD, have spoken; it is coming and I will act. I will not relent, and I will not pity and I will not be sorry; according to your ways and according to your deeds I will judge you," declares the Lord GOD.'" Jonah 3:10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.
Read more

"If God has a "divine plan" for everyone, then does that mean he controls humans and animals to meet his plan?"

Definitely. The Biblical God is in complete control of everything. In the book of Ephesians, we see that God "works all things after the counsel of His will" (Ephesians 1:11; Romans 8:28; 1 Corinthians 12:6; Psalm 135:6).
Read more

"Since an Actual Infinity cannot logically exist, is an infinite God a logical contradiction? Are there any religions that believe in God as a potential infinitely omnipotent being, but not an actual one?"

Complete sets with members that are unending in quantity do exist. A sample set would be the set of all possible configurations of the letters ABC, where duplication of characters is permitted. We would have: ABC, ACB, BAC, BCA, CAB, CBA, AABC, AACB, ABAC, ABCA, ACAB, ACBA, BABC, etc. In fact, the quantity of complete sets with members that are unending in quantity are themselves unending in quantity (the set of all infinite sets is an infinite set).
Read more

"Why does God allow charlatans to use His name to extract money, sex, attention and even their very lives from devout believers, who truly, honestly believe that they are listening to the word of God?"

There are several assumptions made in this question. The first assumption made, is that God actually does this. I'm not convinced that God does do this, because I'm not convinced that these things happen as described. I haven't seen any evidence for it. Granted, this website does not allow for very lengthy questions that could include evidence, but regardless, my point is that I see absolutely no reason to accept the question as asked.
Read more

"I'm not a Christian. Why did God create me knowing that my fate is to burn forever in Hell?"

Romans 9:21-24 Does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?
Read more

"How is God any different than Santa Claus?"

This is sort of an odd question as there are so many very obvious differences. For example, Santa wears a red hat, whereas God doesn't have a physical head to put a hat onto. I don't know of any religion or worldview that claims that God climbs in and out of chimneys, either. There is, in this question, an implicit attack on theism. However, it is quite possibly one of the silliest attacks on theism I have ever encountered, and I encounter it rather frequently.
Read more

"Where did Jesus go after his baptism, is it as according to Mark 1:12-13 or John 1:35-2:1-2. They both have been chosen by the council of Nicea over thousands of gospels and thought to be inspired by the Holy Ghost. Isn't this a contradiction?"

The book of John does not relate the baptism of Jesus. It simply quotes John the Baptist talking about the baptism sometime after the fact. Nowhere does it claim to inform us of what happened immediately after Christ's baptism. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all inform us that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness after His baptism (Matthew 4:1; Mark 1:12; Luke 4:1), where He was to be tempted by the devil.
Read more

"Who killed King Saul, cause Samuel 31:4 and 2 Samuel 1:8-10 contradict each other?"

1 Samuel 31:4-5 Then Saul said to his armor bearer, "Draw your sword and pierce me through with it, otherwise these uncircumcised will come and pierce me through and make sport of me." But his armor bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it. When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him. 2 Samuel 1:8-10 "He said to me, 'Who are you?' And I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.
Read more

"In Genesis 9:11-13 It says God has a covenant that he will never submerge the world by flood again and his token of the covenant is the rainbow. But it is scientifically impossible for rainbows to have not existed before this. Please explain?"

To begin with, Genesis 9 does not claim that there were no rainbows before the flood of Noah. It simply says that from the time of Noah onward, the rainbow will be a sign of God's promise. However, it is certainly not impossible for there to have been no rainbows prior to the flood. The Bible states that prior to the creation of Man, the earth was watered by a fine mist that came up from it, and there was no rain yet.
Read more

"Is it possible for God to be both all-loving and all-powerful if he allows Hell in the form of eternal suffering and torture?"

What is intended by the phrase "all-loving"? Does it mean that God loves everyone and everything? A God like this loves evil. He loves rape, murder, Satanism, the hatred of Himself, idolatry, etc. He loves the rejection of love. Such a God would love hell and would love sending people to it. Thus, if that is what it means for there to be a God who is all-loving, then the answer to the question is certainly, an all loving God could send people to hell for eternal suffering and torture.
Read more

"Leonard Woolly (etc) found that the flood was local and hit only 4 major cities. This matches the Quran; only the disbelievers of Noah's time were punished. So yet again archeologically the Bible has been proven false. Are you still a Christian?"

If the Biblical flood actually happened the way it is described in scripture, then in the words of Ken Ham, CEO of Answers in Genesis, we would expect to find "billions of dead things buried in rock laid down by water all over the earth". And, this is exactly what we find. Even Mt. Everest, debatably the tallest mountain in the world, has marine fossils at its peak. Is it possible to explain individual fossils apart from the flood of Noah? Certainly it is.
Read more

"If God said "Thou shalt not kill" then why did he flood the whole world leaving only Noah and his family alive, and how is the destruction of Sodom justified (killing people for engaging in "immoral" sex), is God exempted from morality?"

If you have small children, you may have told them that they are not allowed to answer the door, or to talk to strangers. Since they are your children, it is morally wrong for them to disobey you, at least in any circumstance where your commands do not go directly against God's commands (Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20). This means that it would be morally wrong for your children to answer the door, or to talk to strangers, because in so doing, they would be disobeying you.
Read more

"How is the trinity monotheistic?"

Trinitarian doctrine declares the following three things: 1. There is only one God. 2. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. 3. These three persons are eternally distinct. Monotheism, according to the Mirriam-Webster dictionary, is defined as "the doctrine or belief that there is but one god".
Read more

"Do we have free will? Please explain."

Free-will has been defined in several different ways. Some would say that free-will is "the ability to do what we want to do". Under this definition, it's clear that we do have free-will, as all of us (at least on occasion) do what we want. However, another definition of free-will is "the ability to choose, or to choose otherwise". Free-will by this definition has been the subject of debate for centuries. We should note that the issue is not "can we choose?
Read more

"A religious friend declined an invitation to a coworker's going away party because he feared there would be drinking there. Does the bible not encourage moderate consumption of wine?"

I'm going to answer with more information than you probably want, in anticipation of possible objections to my answer. When reading the Bible in English, it can often be difficult to discern what the writers were referring to when we see the word "wine". In Hebrew (the Old Testament), there are at least two different words that are both translated "wine" in our modern English versions, and there is a third word we will look at as well.
Read more

"Did Jesus preach non-violence? He says in Mat 5:39 Whoever smites thee on thy right cheek offer him the other. But in Luke 22:36 he says He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. How then can Heb 1:8-12 says he is unchanging?"

Addressing the last part of your question first, the text is below: Hebrews 1:8-12 (from Psalm 102:25-27) - NASB But of the Son He says, "YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM. "YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS.
Read more

"While holding rattlesnakes and speaking in tongues, have you ever been bitten? Does it hurt? "

Mark 16:17-18 "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." My son had a snake once, but it was a boa, not a rattler. I picked it up many times and was not harmed. I also studied Spanish in school, but I was never very good at it.
Read more

"Here is another contradiction of the millions in the bible: Hebrews 6:18 vs. Ezekiel 14:9, if you think this isn't a contradiction, please respond with proof from scripture."

Hebrews 6:17-18 (NKJV) Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.
Read more

"What do you think of the book "The Godless Delusion" by Patrick Madrid and Kenneth Hensley?"

The subtitle of "The Godless Delusion", released June 30th of 2010, is "A Catholic Challenge to Modern Atheism". Based on the subtitle, I was expecting that the book would attempt to make two cases: 1. Atheism is clearly false. 2. Roman Catholicism is clearly true. While reading the book, I quickly realized that making these two cases was not at all the intention of the authors. Rather, they were attempting to establish a different set of conclusions: 1.
Read more

"How can you dare say that God wouldn't want everyone saved? What about John 3:16? I thought Jesus loved and gave up his life on the cross for the whole world? If not, why create and sustain them? Wouldn't he want them to receive EVERLASTING LIFE?"

John 3:16 (NASB) "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." These words from Christ are frequently quoted out of the greater context of the entirety of scripture. This statement tends to be used as a proof-text of the following claims, among others: 1. God loves every single human being individually. 2. God desperately wants every single human being to be in heaven. 3. Humans have free-will. 4.
Read more

"Why did God only send Jesus to Palestine at one particular point in history? If God wants everybody to be saved, wouldn’t the gospel have spread a lot faster if he had sent Jesus to every place on earth in all time periods?"

Are you sure that God wants everyone to be saved? There are many Christian philosophers who do indeed claim that this is the case, but it seems to me that this concept contradicts scripture. John 12:39-40 (re Isaiah 6:8-10) For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, "HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM.
Read more

"Why do seemingly logical individuals arrive at such differing conclusions regarding existence, all the while maintaining that logic allows nothing else? Is the same information being evaluated? Is the same definition of logic being considered? "

Romans 1:18-20 (NASB): For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Read more

"Assuming I accept your arguments that there is a God, it is still a huge leap for me to therefore cut off my son's foreskin, avoid clothes of mixed fibers, and give 10% of my earnings to Pat Robertson."

Christianity does not advocate cutting off your son's foreskin, avoiding clothes of mixed fibers, or giving 10% of your earnings to Pat Robertson. So it seems as though there is nothing in your way to becoming a Christian! Since you haven't actually asked a question, I'm going to have to do a little guesswork to try to figure out how to properly address this comment. PAT ROBERTSON I'll start with the easiest one first -- the Bible never even mentions Pat Robertson.
Read more

"Did God have to be created? Why or why not?"

God was not created. If something is created, then it is necessarily temporal -- in other words, it changes over time. Specifically, it must begin to exist, and "beginning" is itself a temporal process. However, since the only things that are infinite are things that have no end, and since past time has ended, we can say with certainty that past time is not infinite, which means that past time had a beginning.
Read more

"Hell seems designed to punish disobedience and perceived immorality. Would you agree that acting in a certain manner simply because you fear punishment is cowardly and an invalid motivator?"

The coward is the individual who, out of fear, refuses to do what is right. A coward is NOT someone who, out of fear, CHOOSES to do what is right. That man is not being cowardly -- rather, he is being prudent and sensible. Fear is an excellent and perfectly valid motivator toward good works. God uses it frequently and He instructs us, at times, to do likewise. The Book of Proverbs is filled with examples of the wisdom of a proper fear of God...
Read more

"Is there anything that troubles you personally about the belief system you adhere to? What is it and why is it troubling?"

The most troubling thing for me personally, and indeed this must necessarily trouble every Christian in some way, is that according to the Bible I am a sinner, deserving of death for my sins (Romans 3:23, 6:23). This does not trouble me because it seems to be untrue, but rather because it is so plainly true. All Christians must be troubled by this, because if they are not, there would be no motivation to repent and ask for the forgiveness of their Creator.
Read more

"Regarding your answer to Lev 11:13-19... Rather disingenuous of you don't you think? The list is a list of birds (apart from bats) so the writer (god?) meant "birds", not "insects" or "flying things"."

I don't think it was disingenuous in the slightest, but thanks for asking. Here is your argument as I understood it: 1. The 1500 BC Hebrew word "'owph" has to have the exact same meaning as the 21st century English taxonomical classification "Aves". 2. The 1500 BC Hebrew word "'atalleph" has to have the exact same meaning as the 21st century English taxonomical classification "Chiroptera". 3.
Read more

"Why should one believe in the validity of the Bible?"

Much could be said about manuscript evidence (demonstrating conclusively that the Bible has been reliably passed down to us), archaeological evidence (demonstrating that the locations, lifestyles, and many of the people in the Bible are genuine), eyewitness testimonies and changed lives (demonstrating the genuine sincerity of the authors, such as the apostles Peter and Paul, who were executed for their claims), and fulfilled prophecies (such as Daniel 9:24-25, Leviticus 26:44, Jeremiah...
Read more

"What unique evidence is there for your religion or worldview? Can you prove that what you say is true?"

In the words of the late Greg Bahnsen, the most basic proof of Christianity is that if it were not true, it would be impossible to prove anything at all. If the non-Christian worldview is true, the laws of logic are not valid. Therefore, even though non-Christians use logic to interpret evidence, they have no real justification for doing so. In the non-Christian worldview, logic is not something that can be trusted.
Read more

"William Lane Craig offers 5 arguments against divine determinism at reasonablefaith.org in an article called "Troubled by Calvinists". Do you agree?"

Dr. William Lane Craig is an astounding debater and an extremely intelligent individual. He has many excellent arguments with regard to many things. These arguments, however, are not among them. The question of free will is one that has been thoroughly debated for thousands of years. Some would say that free will can be defined as "the ability to do what you want".
Read more

"How does your particular faith conceive of vegetarianism and why?"

While there is no scriptural command for all people of today to be vegetarians, the Bible does have quite a bit to say about eating meat, or abstaining from it. Initially, Adam and Eve, the two first people, and all of their offspring, were vegetarians. They were told by God what they were allowed to eat, and meat was not included.
Read more

"Why does the bible, supposedly the perfect inerrant word of god, claim that bats are birds (Lev 11:13-19)."

Here are the relevant texts in the NASB: Leviticus 11:13-19 These, moreover, you shall detest among the birds; they are abhorrent, not to be eaten: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard, and the kite and the falcon in its kind, every raven in its kind, and the ostrich and the owl and the sea gull and the hawk in its kind, and the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl, and the white owl and the pelican and the carrion vulture, and the stork, the heron in its kinds, and the hoopoe,...
Read more

"Does the biblical god "YHWH" tempt? Because it says in Gen. 22:11 that God tempted Abraham, and in James 1:13 it says "God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man? Which should I believe?"

Here are the verses in question from the NASB: Genesis 22:1 Now it came about after these things, that God tested (KJV - "did tempt") Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
Read more

"Comparing Exodus Ch.33 V.20 with Genesis 32:30, God says no man can see Him and live, and then Jacob is celebrating to have done just that. Is this a contradiction?"

Here are the relevant passages (NASB)... Exodus 33:20 But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" Genesis 32:30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved." Neither of these passages is intended to be taken literally.
Read more

"Why does Jesus, when riding into Jeruselum (Matthew 21:7) ride on two things at once, the ass as well as the colt. Why does he ride both at the same time, and what does it teach us? Where also does it fit in in the 4 categories of 2 Timothy 3:16?"

Here are the relevant passages from the NASB: Matthew 21:6-7 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. Mark 11:7 They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it; and He sat on it. Luke 19:35 They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it.
Read more

"Is rape acceptable or unacceptable in your worldview and why? What do your scriptures (if any) say?"

The God of the Bible condemns rape, and therefore, so do Christians. Beginning in the book of Genesis, we read about God's condemnation of rape: Genesis 34:2-7 (NASB) When Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force. He was deeply attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her. So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, "Get me this young girl for a wife.
Read more

"Is what is morally good commanded by God because it is morally good, or is it morally good because it is commanded by God?"

This question has been around at least since Plato, and is known by the name of the "Euthyphro Dilemma". It's really nothing more than a silly trick question wearing a "deep" philosophical mask. If one were to go with the first option provided, it leads to the conclusion that God is subject to the authority of Objective Morality and is not actually able to do whatever He wants, making Him not really God.
Read more

"In Romans 1:23, God clearly says "you have brought down the image of the uncorruptible God to corruptible man". How then can you call Jesus God?"

This question is a continuation of an earlier question, linked to at the bottom of my answer. The question was asked in several parts, so I have compiled all of the questions together here, and will answer them all at once. In full, the questioner asks: "You mentioned that Jesus has two seperate identities. How? Did not Jesus say that he was 'the son of man'?
Read more

"Is your worldview a "religion of peace"? If so, what does it mean to be a "peacemaker"?"

Christians worship the "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6), Jesus the Christ. Christ taught that peacemakers are blessed (Matthew 5:9). The apostle Paul, author of many of the books of the New Testament, begins his letters by saying things like "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2, etc).
Read more

"Brian Dunning from skeptoid.com claims that there is no record of a mass Exodus of Jewish slaves out of Egypt. Is this true?"

No. This is not even remotely the case. This would be true only if we were to throw out all record that we have of the exodus of Jews from Egypt, as Brian Dunning seems to do. Let's take a look at some of his outrageous claims. The statement in question comes from an essay on skeptoid.com entitled "Did Jewish Slaves Build the Pyramids?" PRESUPPOSITIONS Mr.
Read more

"In Romans 1:22-27 especially verse 25, it condemns those who turn God's incorruptible image into the image of corruptible man. Why then do so many Christians say Jesus is 'god incarnate' or even 'son of god'?"

Jesus is one person with two natures. One of His natures is divine (God) and the other is human (man). His God-nature is not His man-nature, and likewise, His man-nature is not His God-nature. They are distinct. Thus, Christians correctly refer to Jesus as both "God" and also as "man", all the while NEVER referring to God as man or man as God. This may sound confusing, but it really is not when put into perspective. Take the following analogy...
Read more

"Has God always existed and always will? If so, how did God design the universe if nothing existed to guide him and nothing existed for him to think about."

I don't think I completely understand your question. The question itself seems to presuppose some things that are not accurate, and so I'm not really sure how to answer it. If your basic question is "how did God design the universe?" then I can honestly tell you that I have no idea -- God didn't specifically tell us how He did it and I have never designed a universe myself, so I wouldn't know the first thing about it.
Read more

"Given that some parts of the Bible are literally true and others are metaphors or parables, how do you decide which is which?"

It would be impossible to speak comprehensively to this, but there are certain factors that are fairly common that can be pointed to in answer to this question. First, it's important to note that this question not only applies to the Bible, but to absolutely any work of literature.
Read more

"Does your faith or worldview have a specific stance on abortion? What is it?"

The Bible condemns the killing of human beings (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17; Matthew 5:21; Mark 10:19, etc) when it is done without the express permission or command of God Himself. For example, governments have God's permission to execute murderers and certain other types of criminals (Genesis 9:6; Numbers 35:17; Leviticus 20:2, 24:14, 24:16; Deuteronomy 13:10; Romans 13:4) and to wage wars against nations under certain circumstances (Numbers 31:7; Joshua 8; 1 Samuel 15:18).
Read more

"Was Jesus crucified at the third hour? Yes: Mark 15:25 No: John 19:14-15. Which would you pick, and why?"

Here are the relevant texts (from the NASB): John 19:14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold, your King!" Mark 15:25 It was the third hour when they crucified Him. Sometimes, hand-written copies of the same document will not entirely agree with each other. Copies of the Bible are not immune from this. This verse in John is a case in point.
Read more

"Isaiah 7:20 says the Lord is going to be a barber and shave the hair off our legs. Is there any reason for this random stuff?"

Isaiah 7:20 (NASB) In that day the Lord will shave with a razor, hired from regions beyond the Euphrates (that is, with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard. This does seem like an odd verse when pulled out of its full context, but reading the entire passage in historical context and in light of the law of Moses, specifically Leviticus 14, the meaning becomes apparent.
Read more

"Deut 18:18 - KJV says "bretheren": Muhammad was an Ishmaelite, therefore a bretheren. 1Jhn 4:1 says Muhammad praised Jesus without knowledge of him as Deut 18:18 says the words were put into his mouth. But if it is an Israeli prophet, why not David?"

I've merged several of your questions together, since they all seem to be referring to the same thing. That way I can address them all at once. For future reference, if you are asking a question for a specific worldview on this website, such as Christianity, please make certain to select that worldview in the drop down list on the ASK A QUESTION page, so that the wrong people are not asked the intended question. Thanks for your care in this.
Read more

"Do you deny that Deuteronomy 18:18-19 is speaking about Prophet Muhammad? If so please explain your reasoning"

Deuteronomy 18:15-19 (NASB) The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. This is according to all that you asked of the LORD your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, "Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, or I will die." The LORD said to me, "They have spoken well.
Read more

"Does your religion or worldview address gender differences regarding: expectations, roles, limitations (or does it)? "

Christianity does detail many differences between genders. Before we address the differences, however, we must first note and discuss one of the most central doctrines of the Christian faith as plainly stated by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 3:28: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus".
Read more

"In my previous question you beautifully pointed it out yet missed it: Jesus says I have lost NONE and also (same context) lost ONE. Math contradiction, is it N/ONE?"

Thanks for the clarification. I understand your question now. The question is with regards to John 17:12 and John 18:9. In John 17:12, Jesus tells His Father that He lost one of those whom His Father gave to Him, namely, Judas Iscariot. In John 18:9, the author of John tells us that Jesus did not lose one. So which is it? One or none?
Read more

"Mr. McCabe, you obviously don't read your own Bible. On the first page alone (Genesis) in the Arabic Bibles around the world the word Allah is there 17 times. YHWH was only given in Exodus, there aren't any vowels, so why did you say Yahweh?"

This question appears to be in response to my answer to the question "Aren't Allah, Brahman and Yahweh just different names for the same God?". Thanks for your comments. When I read the question "Aren't Allah, Brahman and Yahweh just different names for the same God?", my understanding was that the questioner was suggesting that it was possible that we all worship the same God, just by different names. The thrust of my argument was that we worship different Gods.
Read more

"Jesus explicitly says "Many will say to ME (Jesus) LORD LORD, on that day... and I will say to them Depart from here ye that work iniquity" Full context Matthew 7:21-23. What is the Christian's response?"

I'm sorry, but response to what, exactly? I'm really not sure what you are looking for in your question. Here is the full verse and a little more context: Matthew 7:21-27 (NASB) "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
Read more

"If EVERYTHING in the Bible is Gospel truth, then which is true? John Ch.18 V.9 or John Ch.17 V.12?"

I'm afraid I don't understand your question. These two verses say the same thing. In fact, the verse in John 18:9 is a direct reference to the message also contained in John 17:12. Here are the verses: John 17:12 (Christ is speaking to the Father) "While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.
Read more

"Why does Jesus say he will reject all those who believe in him as Lord in Matthew Chapter 7 Verse 21-23?"

Matthew 7:21-23 (NASB) says: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.
Read more

"If God is all-powerful and can do anything and everything, can he build a wall high enough so that he could not jump over it?"

No. The God of the Bible is incapable of numerous things. Essentially, all of these things are summed up in 2 Timothy 2:13 which states that God "cannot deny Himself". The God of scripture is a logical God, which is the only reason why the laws of logic, such as the law of non-contradiction, can be trusted to be universal and invariant.
Read more

"Can god make a rock so big he can't lift it?"

No. The God of the Bible is incapable of numerous things. Essentially, all of these things are summed up in 2 Timothy 2:13 which states that God "cannot deny Himself". The God of scripture is a logical God, which is the only reason why the laws of logic, such as the law of non-contradiction, can be trusted to be universal and invariant.
Read more

"If God is a mysterious unexplainable trinity, then why, when Jesus was posed the question which of the commandments are greatest, did he reply "Hear O Israel The Lord OUR God is ONE?" Note he's not preaching the trinity."

Indeed there are numerous portions of scripture that proudly proclaim that there is only one God. However, remember that this is not in conflict in any way, shape, or form with Trinitarian doctrine, which likewise demands that there is only one God. Trinitarians are monotheists. We believe that there is only one God. Let's go over the three planks of Trinitarianism: 1. There is only one God. 2. This one God is revealed in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 3.
Read more

"What kind of god would give people cancer, aids, epilepsy, emphysema, diarrhea, or any of the other medical problems people get? Why worship a god that isn't good, even if he does exist?"

Interestingly enough, in presupposing that there is such a thing as "good", we must acknowledge that there is some kind of "rule of behavior" that transcends individual humans. However, if there is no good God, then such a transcendent rule of behavior cannot exist. In other words, the only reason we can identify things as being good is because there is a good God who is the very measure of goodness.
Read more

"Mr. McCabe, you said "The three persons of the trinity have three distinct roles" , and "There is only One God". Is this a contradiction?"

It is often argued that Trinitarian doctrine is contradictory. How can three be one and one be three, all at the same time? It sounds like bad math. First, we need to recognize what is meant by the label "contradiction". A logical contradiction is something that makes a claim and then also claims its exact negation. A logical contradiction cannot possibly be true. It is impossible for something to both be and not be at the same time and in the same way.
Read more

"If Jesus really was God, and he shares an equal part of the trinity (meaning they are all coequal; none are above each other) then why does Jesus say in John 14:28: My Father is GREATER than I?"

Being co-equal is not intended as a mathematical equality and does not necessitate that none is in charge of another. The scriptures talk about the equality of the Father and Son in John 5:18, where John states "For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.
Read more

"How can my mother enjoy Heaven, knowing that her atheist son will be tortured forever in the fires of Hell?"

Obviously, it is not important to you that you will be tormented forever in hellfire. Why should it bother your mother? Your mother's existence is not all about you, nor your father's or any of your friends' (Luke 14:26). Therefore, you should stop thinking that the universe revolves around you. If your mother is a Christian, she holds God first and foremost in her heart and soul and rejoices to see Him glorified.
Read more

"If you accept the theory of evolution, only with god as the starter of it, when did souls come into existence?"

The Bible is clear that human beings did not evolve from other kinds of creatures. The Bible states in Genesis 2:7 that "the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." The creation of man from dust is confirmed in numerous other places in scripture including Genesis 3:19, Job 34:15, Psalm 104:29, and Ecclesiastes 3:20 and 12:7.
Read more

"Are you absolutely sure that the Bible is not a work of Satan, the Father of Lies, appearing under the guise of an angel of light to deceive you? (2 Cor 11:14)"

This is a great example of a nonsensical question. 2 Corinthians 11:14 claims that "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light". John 8:44 states that Satan "is a liar and the father of lies". The question presupposes that 2 Corinthians 11:14 and John 8:4 are in fact true. It then goes on to suggest that if in fact these verses are true, mightn't they also be false? The answer is quite obviously, no.
Read more

"Why doesn't prayer work, when the bible promises that it will (John 14:14, for example)?"

In John 14:14, Jesus says "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it." In modern western "Christian" culture, the idea of praying in Jesus' name is often understood to mean appending "...in Jesus' name" to the end of our prayers.
Read more

"What does your religion say about homosexuality?"

The Bible makes it very clear that homosexual behavior is in direct opposition to God's commands for us (1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10; Romans 1:26-27; Genesis 19; Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13). The Bible also makes it clear that everyone is born with a predisposition toward sin (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10-23, 5:12).
Read more

"How did polar bears get from the middle east to the polar ice caps, and penguins to Antarctica, and all the strange Australian beasts to Australia, etc., without leaving populations behind?"

The Bible does not tell us the specific answer to this question, and neither does pure logic, therefore there is no official "Christian" answer. This means Christians are free to speculate about questions like this, keeping in mind that such speculations should not overshadow what is really important in our walk with Christ -- namely, what is clearly revealed in scripture.
Read more

"Why are there so many different Christian religions and denominations? Which one is right?"

Not everyone who calls themselves a Christian is really a follower of Jesus Christ. There are numerous groups that refer to themselves as "Christian", yet have startlingly different beliefs. Practically speaking, Roman Catholic doctrine demands that the current Pope has the final authority on matters of faith. However, no other "Christian" group really cares what the Pope has to say. In fact, some even claim that He is the Antichrist (Westminster Confession 25:6).
Read more

"How does your belief system, and the authorities upon which it is based, guide your behavior?"

The Bible teaches in Matthew 22:36-40 that all of God's laws for humanity depend upon obedience to the following two commands: 1. Love God. ("Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.") 2. Love your neighbor. ("Love your neighbor as yourself.") The most important thing to note here is that love for God must always come before and have total priority over love for other people -- otherwise we fall into idolatry.
Read more

"Why Pray? If it changes God's mind then he is not sovereign. If it does not change God's mind then it is pointless."

First of all, prayer is much more than just petitioning God or asking Him to do things. Instead, it is both an opportunity to build a relationship with the God of creation, and also an outpouring of that relationship. In Jesus's model prayer, known as the Lord's prayer, found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, Jesus both begins and ends by praising the Father. He states His complete commitment to Him and dependence upon Him.
Read more

"Where is the justice in punishing us for Adam's sin?"

According to scripture, we are not punished for Adam's sin (Ezekiel 18). Rather, Adam's fall from perfection has impacted us (Romans 5). For example, if you are descended from a dog, you will be a dog. If you are descended from a parrot, you will be a parrot. If you are descended from a sinner, you will be a sinner. We have inherited Adam's sin-nature, not Adam's punishment. Thus, we are not punished for Adam's sin, but rather, we are punished for our own sin.
Read more

"If god is perfect, how did he manage to create imperfection?"

In answer, I will assume this question is referring essentially to sinful humans and fallen angels (or demons). So, rephrased, what I understand this question to be asking is how a perfect God could have created sinful people. Self-described Christians generally offer, to my knowledge, one of three answers to this. 1.
Read more

"Aren't Allah, Brahman and Yahweh just different names for the same God?"

No. Allah is a generic Arabic term for an ultimate creator God, and could be applied by Arabic speaking peoples to any ultimate creator God, whether He be the God of the Sikhs, the Muslims, the Christians, or the Jews; while Yahweh is the personal name of the God of Christians or Jews only (roughly translated "THE EXISTING ONE"); and Brahman is the non-personal God specific to Hinduism and related religions.
Read more

"Who was Cain's wife?"

According to the Bible, Adam and Eve, the two first people (Genesis 2), initially had two sons, Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-2). Cain murdered his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8), took off into the Land of Nod (Genesis 4:16), and had many descendants (Genesis 4:17-24). We aren't told specifically who his wife was.
Read more

"What does 'moral' mean? Why be moral?"

Dictionary.com defines "moral" as "of, pertaining to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong". Whenever we look at morality in a forum such as this, it is always helpful to present what is generally known as the "Moral Argument for the Existence of God". Briefly put, if an absolute and moral God does not exist, then objective moral values do not exist.
Read more

"What do Mormons believe? Do you consider them Christians?"

This depends on the definition of Christian. It also depends on your definition of Mormon. For "Mormon", I will take this word to mean a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), the largest and most missionary-oriented Mormon denomination in the world. If by "Christian" we mean someone who calls them self a Christian, then Mormons are definitely Christians, as they do consider themselves to be.
Read more

"Where is existence going (i.e. eschatology), both immediately and ultimately?"

The Bible states that no one is perfect but God alone (Luke 18:19). As a result, all of us have earned death and condemnation (Romans 6:23). However, in an amazing substitution, God Himself lived the perfect human life in our place, and paid our fine on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 5). Those of us who put our trust in the work He did in our place will be forgiven (Romans 4:5, John 3:18).
Read more

"Why can't the universe have come from nothing? Why do you insist there had to be a God?"

Atheism is forced to claim that either (1) time and the universe have been around for an infinite duration, or that (2) they sprang from nothing. Atheism is forced to claim one of these options because the only other option is that something created time and the universe. If atheists believed that, they would no longer be atheists. However, both atheistic contentions are logically impossible.
Read more

"You say past time can't be infinite or we would never get to the present. Isn't that just Zeno's Paradox?"

No. Zeno's Paradox takes several forms. I'll just examine one of them -- the one that appears to me to be most pertinent to the question asked. According to Aristotle, "That which is in locomotion must arrive at the half-way stage before it arrives at the goal". Imagine your house is sixty miles from your office. Before you can go sixty miles, you must first go thirty. But before you can go thirty, you must first go fifteen.
Read more

"Why are books of faith, such as the Bible or Koran, seething with so much violence? Do you think that there is a relationship between the violence that has been perpetrated in the name of religion and the books of faith?"

The word "violence" often carries with it a connotation of evil. However, the definition of the word does not necessitate any kind of moral association. According to dictionary.com, the first definition of violence is "swift and intense force". Thus, we could comfortably say that a batter hits a baseball with violence, or a carpenter drives a nail into a piece of wood with violence. I can think of no one who would find these violent tasks to be inherently evil.
Read more

"Is Buddhism compatible with Christianity?"

Buddhism is incompatible with Christianity. Buddhism rejects the concept of a permanent self, or an immortal soul. In Christianity, the concept of "self" and the immortal soul are pervasively important. In Christianity, it is "self" that sins (Ezekiel 18:4), is resurrected (John 5:29, Romans 8:11), and is eternally judged (Matthew 7:23, Revelation 14:11). It is "self" that is offered eternal forgiveness through Jesus Christ (John 3:16).
Read more

"Who founded or discovered your worldview?"

Christian doctrine has been gradually developed over several millennia since the time of the very first people. However, since the time of Jesus of Nazareth, also called Jesus Christ, and his immediate followers, approximately 2000 years ago, essential Christian doctrine has not changed at all. Thus, fully developed Christian doctrine came through Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. It is from His title, "Christ", that we get the word "Christians".
Read more

"Is the Bible true?"

Every worldview, when reduced to its most basic fundamentals, requires self-attestation, or, in other words, a "circular argument". Such arguments are necessary for every worldview. For example, a rationalist (someone who accepts reason as the supreme authority) can only attempt to justify his reliance on reason by... using reason. Christianity, likewise, has a supreme authority, and that authority is God. He has given us His Word and told us to use it as our basis for understanding.
Read more

"If the book of Genesis is not to be taken literally, why did god send himself in human form to die in order to save us from a symbolic sin committed by metaphorical characters (Adam and Eve) who never existed?"

The Apostle Paul compares Jesus to Adam in the book of Romans, chapter 5, verses 12-21, and in such a fashion that if Adam were not a real man, one would have to conclude that Christ were not either. In Luke 3, the "beloved physician" Luke provides a Genealogy of Jesus including his step-father Joseph, King David, his father Jesse, Boaz (husband of Ruth), Judah, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Shem, Noah, Seth, and (yes) Adam.
Read more

"What's the most attractive thing about your worldview? What sets it apart from the others?"

Only Christianity can provide a solution to the problem of sin. We know that we aren't perfect. We know that we should do better. We know that there is a perfect moral law that governs us, and we don't live up to it (Romans 3:23). Atheism denies all of these obvious facts. Other worldviews recognize them, but tell us that we must do better -- that we must be perfect -- that we must fix the problem of sin. Christianity alone tells us the obvious truth -- that we can't be perfect.
Read more

"When did your religion or worldview first begin?"

This question requires a two-pronged answer. When God created man, at the beginning of creation, man recognized God and worshipped Him in the way God ordained. In this sense, the worship of the Christian God and reliance on His grace (which is the essence of Christianity) has been around since the time of the very first man, Adam.
Read more

"Does evolution (and with that, the evils that have occurred in the name of natural selection, prior to the fall of man) disprove the existence of God?"

In short, no. There is absolutely no evidence that evolution, in the sense in which this question is referring to it, has ever happened. Evidence of the lack of evidence includes the "theory" of Punctuated Equilibrium, developed by evolutionary paleontologists Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould. One of the celebrated functions of this theory is its demonstration of why, if evolution were actually true, there would be no fossil evidence for it.
Read more

"What happens to people who don't accept what you claim?"

Nothing happens to people who don't accept what I personally claim. However, Jesus made some striking statements about those who do not accept HIS claims. He taught that the two greatest commandments were to love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39) In Luke 16, Jesus tells a story about a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus.
Read more

"Why am I here? Why do I exist? What is my purpose?"

According to Christ, the greatest commandment is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). As our greatest command, it is the thing we most ought to do. We exist to love God. How are we to love God? What exactly does that mean? The apostle John tells us that love for God is to obey Him (1 John 5:3).
Read more

"Why do bad things happen to good people?"

Jesus teaches us that no one is good but God (Mat 19:17, Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19, Rom 3:12). According to the Bible, every one of us has failed at what we have been called to do (Rom 3:23). Even the best people in the world have been dishonest, greedy, selfish, or lustful at some point in time. All of us have done something we shouldn't have, and as a result, our connection with our perfect Creator is damaged and broken.
Read more

"How did we get here? Where did we all come from?"

The Bible teaches that God, through His Son, Jesus, the Word of God, specially created all things, including humanity (Gen 1, John 1:3). Of humanity, God first created a man, named Adam, and then a woman, whom the man named Eve. God then breathed life into them. They both lived for close to a thousand years, and had numerous children between them, some of whom are also named in scripture (Gen 4:1-2; Gen 4:25; Gen 5:3-4). From these original people, all of us are descended.
Read more

"I want to know why God created Satan and Demons in first place?"

The Bible doesn't specifically tell us why God created the devil and the other demons. However, it makes clear that He has every right to do as He sees fit, given His perfect wisdom, perfect power, and perfect love. The Book of Romans describes God's creation, including the devil and demons, as clay in the hands of the potter, and demonstrates by analogy that just as the potter has complete license over His creation, so does God over His.
Read more

Gilbert Guttlebocker, Defender of Dragons

Riveting, yet absurd; romantic, yet innocent; Gilbert Guttlebocker, Defender of Dragons is a little Roald Dahl, a little Harry Potter, and a little Chronicles of Narnia, all rolled into one. Timothy McCabe collaborates with the great Benedict Ballyhoot to bring you the novel of the century!

 

In Printed Form

Along with numerous other authors including Don Landis, Bodie Hodge and Roger Patterson, Timothy McCabe contributes analyses of various world religions and cults in this volume from Master Books.