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10 questions that every intelligent Christian must answer

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by Revmitchell, May 27, 2008.

  1. J.D.

    J.D. Active Member
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    Revmitchell, don't get me wrong here - I think the questions are very reasonable. In fact, I sometimes get in trouble with Christians because I defend the people asking these types of questions. So I'm with you on this. My answers here are geared toward the ears of believers, so they are directly to the point. And it probably would have been clearer if I had said that the question was not logically valid.
     
  2. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Look at it this way. God doesn't always heal cancer but we believe he does at times. He doesn't always heal many different disease and illnesses but we see at times He does. But we never see amputees healed. I believe that is a valid observation. Although I believe His healing comes just prior to actually amputating most likely to avoid the loss of limb.
     
  3. Allan

    Allan Active Member

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    Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, and those make such claims :laugh:
     
  4. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    I went to school with one of Hinns bodyguards. He wasnt afraid to talk about Hinns claims.
     
  5. windcatcher

    windcatcher New Member

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    Okay, the amputee question?
    Thankfully another poster reminds us of the servants ear being healed/ reattached.

    Comparably, I assert that amputated limbs have been restored: Fingers, hands, teeth, have been separated from the body and reattached. Sure, it might involve medical attention but medical attention is no good whatsoever without the design of the Great Creator in forming our bodies and putting his healing in the body.

    As the other video answering these questions pointed out: The atheist or agnostic asking the question 'Why doesn't God heal amputees?" begs the question "Where is the promise that He would?"

    There is a failure of logic: When a person comes from a posistion where he doesn't believe in God...... the very questions which he asks is presumming that he knows or has some idea of who and what God is. There are assumptions behind each question he asks: The biggest being that he presumes to know enough about God to ask the questions without knowing God.

    Outstanding to me: The Bible is not a Scientific Book...... but there are statements in the Bible which were not understood at the time of its inspiration and penning..... but is true and provable based upon modern technology and science. Evolution is still a theory without proof..... but Creation by 'Intelligent Design' can be established and consistant with the Biblical report through the sciences of geology, astronomy...... and many other sciences. When the scientific picture is in agreement with its various disciplines, it is consistant with scripture: Where there are gaps and questions in the science where one observation contradicts another, it is either one or several of: the theory is wrong, the science is wrong, the assumptions are wrong, or man's understanding and development of technology is wrong...

    But faith is not dependant on logic or knowledge of science or debate, or proofs, but on acceptance of the LORD ship of Jesus Christ.

    Before a person asks a question.... he has to believe in the existance of the person to whom he asks the question: He must have some relationship with that person which regards with some respect the answer which will be given him. If he is asking the question (indirectly) of another party whom he regards as a representative of the party to whom the question is directed, he should reasonably regard that the answer may not be nearly as accurate or complete as it would be if he could directly question the person who has authority. Thus, any dissatisfaction which he has with a third parties' answers are carelessly regarded if he is willing to conclude his inquiry based upon unsatisfactory answers rather than pursue his search for answers.

    Furthermore, when entertaining and answering questions, there is the assumption that the person asking the questions is sincere in his inquiry and has some respect (which is not to equate as 'blind acceptance') for the person giving the answers. ............So I conclude that the first video, (while it has its value in promoting discussion and promoting a deeper study of one's faith and assumptions which could be real or false.... but deserve confronting to build up foundations of understanding of the Word so that we better know how to give an answer in season and out of season)......the first video is fraudulent in its sincerity as the quiry is already conclusive in presumming he has the answers, and has concluded any disagreeing with him 'are delusional' and therefore....he has no respect for answers other than the ones he has already accepted for himself. Poor fool, who says in his heart there is no god.
     
  6. windcatcher

    windcatcher New Member

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    I would be interested in hearing your story any way you might prefer....in open forum....... or confidentially by private messenger....... if its not too much trouble to indulge me...:wavey:
     
  7. Palatka51

    Palatka51 New Member

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    I would like to submit to both of you that He still does. Just as Jesus restored the ear, He in like manner is restoring severed limbs all the time. If a person can get the severed limb on ice and get to a qualified
    surgeon in time, chances are the limb can be restored.
    I am one that sees that God has instilled into the natural body the ability to heal. That healing can be taken away by diabetes, aids and other immune deficiencies. We stand on the threshold for many "miraculous" medical advances that will see the restoration of a lost limbs coming out of the adult stem cell research.

    All healing is of God and He alone should get the praise for all of it.
     
  8. Cutter

    Cutter New Member

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    I went to bed thinking about the "God not healing amputees" question.

    I thought about when God originally created man He formed him out of the dust of the ground. The Lord created man using part of His already created earth. When an amputee loses a limb the limb is disposed of, therefore for an amputee to be healed or restored a limb, would require a totally new creation from the dust and reattachment for the limb to be restored, since a man's body cannot regenerate itself. If, on the other hand, the limb had just been severed and it was the Lord's will to heal, He could reattach the limb or body part, since the body part was still available, as in the case of Malchus' ear. Not saying that anything is impossible with the Lord, just observing the past history and laws God used in His creation.

    It is an interesting question and these are just my thoughts.
     
  9. windcatcher

    windcatcher New Member

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    Regarding post #46:
    Thankfully, there's been no reply.... May I retract this request?

    It really is none of my business and some curiosities are not edifying if satisfied.







    Sorry, I'm so late in this request.... but evidently, I submitted post then headed to doctor's appointment before revision or deletion....and failed to log off, also.
     
  10. JustChristian

    JustChristian New Member

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    I believe that these are the kind of questions one would expect from an unbeliever. As Christians I think we should be prepared for them but I don't think we should believe that we have to answer every one. Each of us has different strengths and knowledge about the Bible and different people might be more comfortable answering different questions. In a discussion like this I think it's important not to be on the defensive yet not to be too rigid.

    A good way to do that and to establish some common ground is to ask this person:

    1) Where did the universe come from?

    2) How do you derive meaning from life?

    3) What happens to you when you die?

    These are basic philosophical questions that man has struggled with for all of history. If he gives you a flippant answer to these questions he's not interested in a truthful discussion just "Christian baiting." If he does give a thoughtful and truthful answer, then he might be open a real discussion about Christianity.

    As for the questions raised on the video:

    1. Why doesn’t God cure amputees?

    I don't know.

    2. Why are there so many starving people in this world?

    God never promises us an easy or comfortable life. He does promise comfort in the hard times and hope for the future.

    3. Why does the Bible promote murder?

    All of these references come from the Old Testament. I would need to study this further but I would bet that these kind of practices were fairly common in t6he general culture of that day. In addition, the Bible needs to be interpreted in different ways for different passages because there are many different types of literature in the scriptures. Some of it should be interpreted literally and some should not.

    4. Why is the Bible not consistent with science?

    This is my strength. God could not relate in the Bible exactly how everything worked because no one would understand it even today. I believe that we are constantly understanding more and more about how things work but will never fully understand the laws of science until we see Him face to face. Therefore, saying that the Bible doesn't correlate with science is like asking why people in earlier times believed that the world was flat and placed at the center of the universe. We don't yet know what science really is. Just look at the change that resulted when Newton's deterministic laws were changed by Einstein and others. The beat of science goes on, and on.

    5. Why is God such a huge proponent of slavery?

    Slavery was enforced by the governments of the day. Jesus never supported overthrow of the government. He brought a different kind of kingdom which freed the human heart.

    6. Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?

    See answer #2. Also, hard times often bring us closer to God and strengthen our faith.

    7. Why didn’t Bible miracles leave any evidence?

    Actually, I can't think of a miracle described in the Bible that would have left long term evidence. Most were about the healing of individuals who have long since been turned to dust or something like the parting of the Red Sea which quickly returned to its original state. There again there was one. The miracle of the stopping of the sun in the sky for a whole day described in Joshua 10:12-14.

    10:12 Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. (10:12-13). 10:13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. 10:14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.

    Did you know that the space program is busy proving that what has been called myth in the Bible is true? Mr. Harold Hill, President of the Curtis Engine Company in Baltimore Maryland and a consultant in the space program, relates the following development:
    I think one of the most amazing things that God has for us today happened recently to our astronauts and space scientists at Green Belt, Maryland. They were checking the position of the sun, moon, and planets out in space where they would be 100 years and 1000 years from now.. We have to know this so we won't send a satellite, up and have it bump into something later on during its orbits. We have to lay out the orbits in terms of the life of the satellite, and where the planets will be so the whole thing will not bog down..
    They ran the computer measurement back and forth over the centuries and it came to a halt. The computer stopped and put up a red signal, which meant that there was something wrong either with the information fed into it or with the results as compared to the standards. They called in the service department to check it out and they said what's wrong?
    Well they found there is a day missing in space in elapsed time. They scratched their heads and tore their hair. There was no answer. Finally, a Christian man on the team said, You know, one time I was in Sunday school and they talked about the sun standing still. While they didn't believe him, they didn't have an answer either, so they said, Show us. He got a Bible and went back to the book of Joshua where they found a pretty ridiculous statement for any one with common sense.
    There they found the Lord saying to Joshua, Fear them not, I have delivered them into thy hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. Joshua was concerned because he was surrounded by the enemy and if darkness fell they would overpower them. So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still! That's right---The sun stood still and the moon stayed---and hasted not to go down about a whole day!
    The astronauts and scientists said, There is the missing day! They checked the computers going back into the time it was written and found it was close but not close enough. The elapsed time that was missing back in Joshua's day was 23 hours and 20 minutes---not a whole day. They read the Bible and there it was about (approximately) a day.

    8. Why hasn’t Jesus appeared to you?

    God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost chose how they will be made known to us. They don't come on our command.

    9. Why would Jesus want you to eat his body and drink his blood?

    We don't believe that this is what literally happens. We take elements (bread and wine) which represent His body and blood to remind us of His sacrifice.

    10. Why do Christians get divorced at the same rate as other people?

    Not everyone who professes to be a Christian is a genuine believer. On the other hand, genuine Christians are not perfect and will slip back into sin.

    I'M NOT SAYING THAT I'M EVEN CLOSE TO BEING PERFECT. NOR DO I KNOW ALL THE ANSWERS (literally in this case). This is just how I would approach this opportunity to witness.
     
    #50 JustChristian, May 28, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: May 28, 2008
  11. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    I think we should discuss false doctrine without attacking the person. Unfortunately in some cases the false doctrine reveals a character problem. But since men like Hinn publically deceive people he needs to be exposed publically as well.

    His body guard took part in hand picking certain individuals that could give an impression of being healed. Someone who was in a wheel chair due to an injury that was painful but not completely debilitating would be used to show as being healed and able to walk again.


    It is all fake as far as healings go. But Hinn has helped a lot of people who was in dire need so he has a loyal following. He helps many people to be sure monetarily. When I was with the Good News Jail & Prison Ministry in Orlando I come across quite a few people in 33rd street jail Hinn was helping out fiancially. So anything else Hinn did fake or otherwise was overlooked and you better not say anything that would expose his false doctrine around them.
     
    #51 Revmitchell, May 28, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: May 28, 2008
  12. nunatak

    nunatak New Member

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    I have mixed feelings about this issue. If a Christian is "intelligent," shouldn't he have the knowledge/wisdom that comes from God? And the wisdom that comes from God is foolishness to the world? Again, some of the questions demand "evidence." But isn't faith just that, a believing without seeing?

    I asked my children what they thought about the idea "why doesn't God heal amputees?" My oldest daughter, 11, said God had already showed his power. IOW, he didn't have anything to prove.

    My youngest daughter was born with 2 fingers on her left hand. We prayed for God to give her a "whole" hand. He didn't. And I will say, this question never entered my mind. Rather, his grace is sufficient.
     
  13. Humblesmith

    Humblesmith Member

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    I think that the person(s) that made this are not just your regular emotional atheists. First they got a pretty decent voice talent, then they wrote a script that is mainly psychological manipulation techniques.

    He frames the questions by assuming the answer. Then he repeatedly keeps saying "it doesn't make sense" "it's insane" "you know it's total nonsense" "you've created an excuse" "you have to make convoluted excuses"
    Then in the second half, he repeats "God is imaginary" over and over and over. This is not a rational argument, it's psychology. It's the first stages of brainwashing. He asks these (mainly) trick questions, then spends the whole rest of the video planting these ideas in your mind by repeating them over and over. It's not a rational argument.

    But here's my answers:

    1. Many of the questions are "Why doesn't God do XYZ?" Well, why doesn't a lot of things happen? Just becuase God doesn't do what I think he should do, or because I don't know the answer, does not make a truth claim. It doesn't prove anything. I thought we were trying to prove something here? This guy has emotional arguments, but no empirical or logical proofs.

    2. The "why doesn't God do XYZ?" questions also assume a sense of morality, then holds God up against it. If you consider that it's possible that our sense of morality is skewed, or that we don't know the whole story, then the argument vanishes.

    3. Who is to say that God will not, in the end, right every wrong? Just becuase he hasn't done it yet doesn't mean it will never happen.

    4. Yes, the world has unexplained evil in it. How do we know that God isn't constantly making things less evil? If you think about it, if God stopped EVERYTHING that someone doesn't like, we'd all be robots. I'm sure this guy would be the first to say God was unfair if he stopped him from blaspheming (or manipulating people with his psychology).

    5. There are valid reasons why God demands the death of people. It's usually for the greater good. Evil would result if we allowed those things. Somehow it's just to allow bosses to force labor on people seven days a week?

    6. God is not a "huge proponent of slavery". Simply false.

    7. What kind of miracle would leave behind evidence? He doesn't give an example because there is none. (can you think of one?) How about if he moved a mountain from north to south? They'd say it was always in the south. How about if he raised someone from the dead? Would that suffice?

    8. Saying that Christians are worldly doesn't prove God is imaginary. I fail to see the logical reasoning process there.

    9. God is not a puppet on a string, ready to do tricks for every skeptic. So he doesn't do miracles every Saturday at 7:00 pm.

    The danger is the psychological manipulation. This guy needs a late night infomercial selling food processors. But the logical reasoning is empty......he doesn't prove anything.

    The biggest danger is that this video has been viewed 1.7 million times. Of those, some will be persuaded by these hollow arguments.

    These are classic "Why is there evil?" arguments. For answers, see the many Christian apologetics websites.
     
  14. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    Here is my opinion.

    Because the restoration of a limb is too far over on the side of "evidence" for the existence of God.

    Where then would be faith with such evidence?

    Faith itself must be the the substance of the evidence, not healings or restored limbs or even the raising of the dead.

    Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.​

    HankD​
     
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