10 questions that every intelligent Christian must answer

[bishonnomahmud]

Hey guys, I am back to this forum after a long time

I came across this interesting video in youtube. The title of the video is '10 questions that every intelligent Christian must answer '. The person who asked these questions is probably an atheist. As a Muslim, I have answer for each of them based on my own faith, but I would like to get their Christian answers first, since the questions are directed towards Christians.

youtube.com/watch?v=zDHJ4ztnldQ

 

[jakasaki]

Since this is your thread, you take the 10 questions presented in the video and post them here.

 

[JRKH]

I suggest that rather than go through the whole thing again, you simply go to
THIS THREAD

• • Been there - - Done That

Peace
James

 

[Newbie2]

This has been discussed on the CAF before, but let’s have a go at it again:

Question 1: Why won’t God heal Amputees? Amputees get no miracles from God.

Answer: They do get healed. They just get healed without that particular limb. Same could be said about a person with Appendicitis. They don’t regrow an appendix. Or a person with colon cancer that gets their colon removed and has a colostomy bag.

The Questioner assumes that unless a person is physically whole that they are not “healed”.

Question 2: Why are there so many starving people in the world?

Answer: Has to do with freewill and evil. We could feed them all, but we choose not to. God doesn’t directly intervene in every crisis, but uses people in many cases to do his will.

Question 3: Why does God demand the death of so many innocent people in the Bible?

Answer: Scripture has to be read in context of the entirety of the Canon of Scripture. Do we know if this claim has a literal basis, or are the numbers claimed figurative? Not to mention that such was the case for Mosaic law, not binding for Christians. As well, such severe penalties reinforced the importance of following the Law.

Question 4: Why does the Bible contain so much scientific nonsense?

Answer: The Bible is not a Science book. Much of the writing was based on the limited understanding of the people of the time, as well as the fact the not everything in Scripture was intended to be taken literally.

Question 5: Why is God such a huge proponent of slavery in the Bible?

Answer: He isn’t. This is a freewill question, somewhat like question #3. Slavery is a fact of life, due to our tendency toward evil. As well, the concepts of “slavery” and “indentured servitude” frequently are overlapped and misunderstood in context.

Question 6: Why do bad things happen to good people?

Answer: Nowhere in Christian Scripture, doctrine or dogma does the Lord say that being good will protect us from evil. Quite the opposite, in fact, is that we are likely to suffer some sort of persection for our beliefs.

Question 7: Why didn’t Jesus’ miracles leave behind any evidence?

Answer: They did. There is a historical record in Scripture. What does the questioner want, pictures? Video?

Question 8: How do you explain the fact that Jesus has never appeared to you?

Answer: He never said he would, saying instead that he would send his Holy Spirit, which he has.

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

Answer: To have his life within us. We don’t literally eat his bodily flesh and blood from his human body, and don’t claim to. This isn’t canibalism, as the questioner suggests.

Question 10: Why do Christians get divorced at the same rate as non-Christians?

Answer: Freewill. We don’t always make good or proper decisions either in who we choose to marry or how we handle ourselves in our marriages.

Bottom line, the questioner assumes that a “college educated, rational person” will have all the answers to life’s questions. This is rationalism at it’s worst.

We could turn these questions back on a rationalist, asking that he or she answer questions like, “Why hasn’t science been able to answer how the earth was formed?” and “Why hasn’t man be able to create life in a test tube by combining all of the chemical elements that we have available to us?”

But such questions would be silly, no?

 

[VetA]

This has been discussed on the CAF before, but let’s have a go at it again:

Question 1: Why won’t God heal Amputees? Amputees get no miracles from God.

Answer: They do get healed. They just get healed without that particular limb. Same could be said about a person with Appendicitis. They don’t regrow an appendix. Or a person with colon cancer that gets their colon removed and has a colostomy bag.

The Questioner assumes that unless a person is physically whole that they are not “healed”.

Question 2: Why are there so many starving people in the world?

Answer: Has to do with freewill and evil. We could feed them all, but we choose not to. God doesn’t directly intervene in every crisis, but uses people in many cases to do his will.

Question 3: Why does God demand the death of so many innocent people in the Bible?

Answer: Scripture has to be read in context of the entirety of the Canon of Scripture. Do we know if this claim has a literal basis, or are the numbers claimed figurative? Not to mention that such was the case for Mosaic law, not binding for Christians. As well, such severe penalties reinforced the importance of following the Law.

Question 4: Why does the Bible contain so much scientific nonsense?

Answer: The Bible is not a Science book. Much of the writing was based on the limited understanding of the people of the time, as well as the fact the not everything in Scripture was intended to be taken literally.

Question 5: Why is God such a huge proponent of slavery in the Bible?

Answer: He isn’t. This is a freewill question, somewhat like question #3. Slavery is a fact of life, due to our tendency toward evil. As well, the concepts of “slavery” and “indentured servitude” frequently are overlapped and misunderstood in context.

Question 6: Why do bad things happen to good people?

Answer: Nowhere in Christian Scripture, doctrine or dogma does the Lord say that being good will protect us from evil. Quite the opposite, in fact, is that we are likely to suffer some sort of persection for our beliefs.

Question 7: Why didn’t Jesus’ miracles leave behind any evidence?

Answer: They did. There is a historical record in Scripture. What does the questioner want, pictures? Video?

Question 8: How do you explain the fact that Jesus has never appeared to you?

Answer: He never said he would, saying instead that he would send his Holy Spirit, which he has.

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

Answer: To have his life within us. We don’t literally eat his bodily flesh and blood from his human body, and don’t claim to. This isn’t canibalism, as the questioner suggests.

Question 10: Why do Christians get divorced at the same rate as non-Christians?

Answer: Freewill. We don’t always make good or proper decisions either in who we choose to marry or how we handle ourselves in our marriages.

Bottom line, the questioner assumes that a “college educated, rational person” will have all the answers to life’s questions. This is rationalism at it’s worst.

We could turn these questions back on a rationalist, asking that he or she answer questions like, “Why hasn’t science been able to answer how the earth was formed?” and “Why hasn’t man be able to create life in a test tube by combining all of the chemical elements that we have available to us?”

But such questions would be silly, no?

for question 6 it (for the questioner) it may be helpful to read the book of Job

 

[bishonnomahmud]

Thanks for your answers. BRIEF answers from Islamic perspective would be:

Question 1: Why won’t God heal Amputees? Amputees get no miracles from God.

Answer: Once your head or hand gets amputated, they do not grow back because everything in this world governed by the law determined by the God.

Question 2: Why are there so many starving people in the world?

Answer: This is test to Muslims from Allah. He tests the wealthy in this world by giving them wealth and see if they do something for those who have been deprived of wealth. Zakah is therefore an obligation for Muslims.

Question 3: Why does God demand the death of so many innocent people in the Bible?

Answer: I have no studied Bible so I cannot answer. As a Muslim I however believe that the both present Torah and Bible are corrupted (people later have corrupted the original words of God).

Question 4: Why does the Bible contain so much scientific nonsense?

Answer: Our stance is different. We Muslims believe that the flood during Noah HAPPENED. We believe that Moses’ stick cause the Red sea to part. These events have nothing to do science as they were directly performed by Allah.

Question 5: Why is God such a huge proponent of slavery in the Bible?

Answer: Again, I have not studied Bible.

Question 6: Why do bad things happen to good people?

Answer: In Islam, we believe that good or bad, everything comes from Allah. Allah bless people with good fortune and see if they acknowledge the blessing of Allah and thank Him and remain grateful to Him. Sometimes, He inflicts pain and suffering to see in His slaves still remain steadfast on His path. Those who do, succeed.

Question 7: Why didn’t Jesus’ miracles leave behind any evidence?

Answer: We Muslims believe in all the miracles of Jesus (his virgin birth etc). It is a matter of believe. However, Quran is miracle of the last prophet Muahmmad (pbuh). Anyone is welcome to see it, touch it and think over it.

Question 8: How do you explain the fact that Jesus has never appeared to you?

Answer: Jesus (pbuh) is not our God. He is one of our prophet and we believe that he was not crucified. Allah raised him into heaven and another person was crucified instead. We believe that before the Hour, Jesus will again descend to earth. He will break the Cross, kill the anti-christ, kill all the swine, and will establish a kingdom of justice. He will not descend as a prophet, he will rather follow Quran, the last guidance to humankind.

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

Answer: He never wanted. This is from corrupted Bible.

Question 10: Why do Christians get divorced at the same rate as non-Christians?

Answer: Well christians know that.

 

[benidict]

the person who made that video, came off as an arrogant,elitest. if this is what further education does to people, then im glad i never went to college peace

 

[CatholicFireman]

It must be open season on us today, brothers and sisters. Challenger2 has a garbage thread out, so does 9commands and now this. Sheesh!

You only make us Catholic/Christians stronger in our faith.

 

[TheQuestioner]

You ask me for answers to your 10 questions but use condescending language and insult any answers I give as “strange excuses”? Then you provide your own answers as “rational” and “sensible”?

The bias is too much:shrug:

 

[SteveVH]

Hey guys, I am back to this forum after a long time

I came across this interesting video in youtube. The title of the video is '10 questions that every intelligent Christian must answer '. The person who asked these questions is probably an atheist. As a Muslim, I have answer for each of them based on my own faith, but I would like to get their Christian answers first, since the questions are directed towards Christians.

youtube.com/watch?v=zDHJ4ztnldQ

Why would anyone imagine that intelligent Christians must answer ignorant questions from non-believers? :dts:

 

[FaithJoy]

I assume the author believes that the big bang created the universe which violates the 1st law of thermodynamics? He must kiss his science books when he gets home every nite since science has a history of being wrong time and time again.

 

[CatholicFireman]

I assume the author believes that the big bang created the universe which violates the 1st law of thermodynamics? He must kiss his science books when he gets home every nite since science has a history of being wrong time and time again.

I prefer the bumper sticker I see every now and then: “The Big Bang Theory: God spoke and BANG…it happened”

 

[CatholicFireman]

It must be open season on us today, brothers and sisters. Challenger2 has a garbage thread out, so does 9commands and now this. Sheesh!

You only make us Catholic/Christians stronger in our faith.

UPDATE: 9commands’ thread has been pulled. Way to go moderators!

Let that be a warning to people who come on here simply to cause trouble as opposed to good healthy debate/good honest inquiries.

We are here to educate and share our faith, not but heads

Pax†

 

[rinnie]

The answer to ever question is quite simple. We as Christians know to NEVER question God. We have no right to question God.

For every single question there is a answer and God has it. Some people get the answers in this life some when they meet God face to face. We can ask God why, but we can never question him, (a true question will understand what I am saying)

We do not know all of the answers but we do not need to.

I asked my Dad once if when we die God will answer every question we ever had. He told me he won’t have to. When we meet God face to face we will know everything.

One day a Man looked up and said Why God don’t you do something, people are suffering, starving etc. Why don’t you do something about it.

God answered I did. I created YOU!

 

[Battleaxe]

Thanks for your answers. BRIEF answers from Islamic perspective would be:

Question 1: Why won’t God heal Amputees? Amputees get no miracles from God.

Answer: Once your head or hand gets amputated, they do not grow back because everything in this world governed by the law determined by the God.

Not all amputees are the victims of Islamic “justice”. The word can also mean folks who have lost limbs or parts thereof in accidents!

Question 3: Why does God demand the death of so many innocent people in the Bible?

Answer: I have no studied Bible so I cannot answer. As a Muslim I however believe that the both present Torah and Bible are corrupted (people later have corrupted the original words of God).

What right does Islam have to claim that the Bible was corrupted in later years? Is it simply because it contradicts the claims of manuscripts which didn`t appear until 600 years after the time of Jesus?

Galatians 1:8-9:
“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.” (RSV)
St. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, feels so strongly about it that he says it twice.
Over the centuries, the Churchs understanding of Public Divine Revelation has deepened, but thats not the same as your claim. ** Public Revelation ceased with the death of St. John the Evangelist.**

“Even if an entity claiming to be the Archangel Gabriel…let him be accursed.”
Fits like a hand in a glove.

Question 4: Why does the Bible contain so much scientific nonsense?

Answer: Our stance is different. We Muslims believe that the flood during Noah HAPPENED. We believe that Moses’ stick cause the Red sea to part. These events have nothing to do science as they were directly performed by Allah.

What makes you think that the (Catholic) Church teaches something different?

Question 6: Why do bad things happen to good people?

Answer: In Islam, we believe that good or bad, everything comes from Allah. Allah bless people with good fortune and see if they acknowledge the blessing of Allah and thank Him and remain grateful to Him. Sometimes, He inflicts pain and suffering to see in His slaves still remain steadfast on His path. Those who do, succeed.

Makes Calvinism look benign in comparison.
We baptised Christians are Gods CHILDREN ("***Our Father*** who art in Heaven......"), NOT His SLAVES. This attitude sums up the difference between true Christianity and Islam: the difference between a loving (but just) Father and a demanding "Do as I say!" Overlord. God doesnt say: “Do as I say!”; He says: “Do as I AM.”

Question 7: Why didn’t Jesus’ miracles leave behind any evidence?

Answer: We Muslims believe in all the miracles of Jesus (his virgin birth etc). It is a matter of believe. However, Quran is miracle of the last prophet Muahmmad (pbuh). Anyone is welcome to see it, touch it and think over it.

Question 8: How do you explain the fact that Jesus has never appeared to you?

Answer: Jesus (pbuh) is not our God. He is one of our prophet and we believe that he was not crucified. Allah raised him into heaven and another person was crucified instead. We believe that before the Hour, Jesus will again descend to earth. He will break the Cross, kill the anti-christ, kill all the swine, and will establish a kingdom of justice. He will not descend as a prophet, he will rather follow Quran, the last guidance to humankind.

Ditto as for Question 3 response.

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

Answer: He never wanted. This is from corrupted Bible.

Shows a complete lack of understanding of the Blessed Sacrament.
Among other things: it`s not just His Body and Blood, but His Soul and DIVINITY (Sanctifying Grace).

 

[Battleaxe]

You only make us Catholic/Christians stronger in our faith.

If only all self-professed Catholics would be like that, and heed God`s wake up call!

 

[CatholicFireman]

If only all self-professed Catholics would be like that, and heed God`s wake up call!

Absolutely

 

[JonNC]

This has been discussed on the CAF before, but let’s have a go at it again:

Question 1: Why won’t God heal Amputees? Amputees get no miracles from God.

Answer: They do get healed. They just get healed without that particular limb. Same could be said about a person with Appendicitis. They don’t regrow an appendix. Or a person with colon cancer that gets their colon removed and has a colostomy bag.

The Questioner assumes that unless a person is physically whole that they are not “healed”.

Question 2: Why are there so many starving people in the world?

Answer: Has to do with freewill and evil. We could feed them all, but we choose not to. God doesn’t directly intervene in every crisis, but uses people in many cases to do his will.

Question 3: Why does God demand the death of so many innocent people in the Bible?

Answer: Scripture has to be read in context of the entirety of the Canon of Scripture. Do we know if this claim has a literal basis, or are the numbers claimed figurative? Not to mention that such was the case for Mosaic law, not binding for Christians. As well, such severe penalties reinforced the importance of following the Law.

Question 4: Why does the Bible contain so much scientific nonsense?

Answer: The Bible is not a Science book. Much of the writing was based on the limited understanding of the people of the time, as well as the fact the not everything in Scripture was intended to be taken literally.

Question 5: Why is God such a huge proponent of slavery in the Bible?

Answer: He isn’t. This is a freewill question, somewhat like question #3. Slavery is a fact of life, due to our tendency toward evil. As well, the concepts of “slavery” and “indentured servitude” frequently are overlapped and misunderstood in context.

Question 6: Why do bad things happen to good people?

Answer: Nowhere in Christian Scripture, doctrine or dogma does the Lord say that being good will protect us from evil. Quite the opposite, in fact, is that we are likely to suffer some sort of persection for our beliefs.

Question 7: Why didn’t Jesus’ miracles leave behind any evidence?

Answer: They did. There is a historical record in Scripture. What does the questioner want, pictures? Video?

Question 8: How do you explain the fact that Jesus has never appeared to you?

Answer: He never said he would, saying instead that he would send his Holy Spirit, which he has.

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

Answer: To have his life within us. We don’t literally eat his bodily flesh and blood from his human body, and don’t claim to. This isn’t canibalism, as the questioner suggests.

Question 10: Why do Christians get divorced at the same rate as non-Christians?

Answer: Freewill. We don’t always make good or proper decisions either in who we choose to marry or how we handle ourselves in our marriages.

Bottom line, the questioner assumes that a “college educated, rational person” will have all the answers to life’s questions. This is rationalism at it’s worst.

We could turn these questions back on a rationalist, asking that he or she answer questions like, “Why hasn’t science been able to answer how the earth was formed?” and “Why hasn’t man be able to create life in a test tube by combining all of the chemical elements that we have available to us?”

But such questions would be silly, no?

N2,
I was going to post my own responses, but now I’ll just ditto yours.

Jon

 

[Newbie2]

The answer to ever question is quite simple. We as Christians know to NEVER question God. We have no right to question God.

For every single question there is a answer and God has it. Some people get the answers in this life some when they meet God face to face. We can ask God why, but we can never question him, (a true question will understand what I am saying)

We do not know all of the answers but we do not need to.

I asked my Dad once if when we die God will answer every question we ever had. He told me he won’t have to. When we meet God face to face we will know everything.

One day a Man looked up and said Why God don’t you do something, people are suffering, starving etc. Why don’t you do something about it.

God answered I did. I created YOU!

We need to be careful to distinguish between questioning God, which isn’t a great idea, and questioning ***about ***God, which is what Theology is all about.

Faith seeking Understanding.

N2,
I was going to post my own responses, but now I’ll just ditto yours.

Jon

I often wonder why such athiests/agnostics/whatevers bother to take the time to post such things on youtube or create entire websites slamming Christian beliefs. The conclusion that I’ve come to is that deep down they have a nagging suspicion that God really exists and that Christianity is indeed the embodyment of Truth, but they have not as yet been able to psycologically or intellectually deal with how the pursuit of such Truth isn’t necessarily limited to raw, childlike faith (although faith is essential, and there’s nothing wrong with “unintellectual” faith, if that’s where one is in his or her journey).

I think they have a really hard time understanding the notion of Faith seeking Understanding.

 

[Justin1982]

Thanks for your answers. BRIEF answers from Islamic perspective would be:

Question 1: Why won’t God heal Amputees? Amputees get no miracles from God.

Answer: Once your head or hand gets amputated, they do not grow back because everything in this world governed by the law determined by the God.

Question 2: Why are there so many starving people in the world?

Answer: This is test to Muslims from Allah. He tests the wealthy in this world by giving them wealth and see if they do something for those who have been deprived of wealth. Zakah is therefore an obligation for Muslims.

Question 3: Why does God demand the death of so many innocent people in the Bible?

Answer: I have no studied Bible so I cannot answer. As a Muslim I however believe that the both present Torah and Bible are corrupted (people later have corrupted the original words of God).

Question 4: Why does the Bible contain so much scientific nonsense?

Answer: Our stance is different. We Muslims believe that the flood during Noah HAPPENED. We believe that Moses’ stick cause the Red sea to part. These events have nothing to do science as they were directly performed by Allah.

Question 5: Why is God such a huge proponent of slavery in the Bible?

Answer: Again, I have not studied Bible.

Question 6: Why do bad things happen to good people?

Answer: In Islam, we believe that good or bad, everything comes from Allah. Allah bless people with good fortune and see if they acknowledge the blessing of Allah and thank Him and remain grateful to Him. Sometimes, He inflicts pain and suffering to see in His slaves still remain steadfast on His path. Those who do, succeed.

Question 7: Why didn’t Jesus’ miracles leave behind any evidence?

Answer: We Muslims believe in all the miracles of Jesus (his virgin birth etc). It is a matter of believe. However, Quran is miracle of the last prophet Muahmmad (pbuh). Anyone is welcome to see it, touch it and think over it.

Question 8: How do you explain the fact that Jesus has never appeared to you?

Answer: Jesus (pbuh) is not our God. He is one of our prophet and we believe that he was not crucified. Allah raised him into heaven and another person was crucified instead. We believe that before the Hour, Jesus will again descend to earth. He will break the Cross, kill the anti-christ, kill all the swine, and will establish a kingdom of justice. He will not descend as a prophet, he will rather follow Quran, the last guidance to humankind.

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

Answer: He never wanted. This is from corrupted Bible.

Question 10: Why do Christians get divorced at the same rate as non-Christians?

Answer: Well christians know that.

I appreciate your honesty on the questions as well the your humility, thanks for not going into assumptions on Christianity, as many Protestants make bad assumptions about Catholics. I will fill in my answers shortly.