Still More Answers

Topic Notes

*This is part 2 of a disscussion about an article on ChurchAndState.org.uk: “Questions Christians Can’t Answer”

Would you sacrifice your beloved child if god asked you to?

• The author is missing the point
• God has never asked anyone to kill someone as a sacrifice to Him
• But God DID sacrifice Jesus for our sake
• To the point: We should absolutely do whatever God asks of us, but we don’t have to worry about God asking such things as sacrificing someone to Him

Can God tell a lie if he wanted to?

• If there were a morally good reason to do so, perhaps
• Why would we expect God to ever do such a thing?

Is it acceptable to disregard commandments or doctrines in the Bible that you don’t like? If you disregard commands that you disagree with, how do you justify doing so?

• To the first part of the question: absolutely not (this renders the second part, moot)
• We should study the bible properly, not just cherry picking.
• We should learn how all of scripture fits together
• Study scripture using C.R.A.C.K.E.D.
  • C – Context – what is the context of the passage?
  • R – Revealed – To those who do not believe, scripture is nonsense. Much understanding of scripture is revealed by the Holy Spirit
  • A – Author’s Intent – What is the author trying to convey?
  • C – Credibility – Give the author some credit. Do not just assume that he/she doesn’t know what they are talking about.
  • K – Knit Together – Many things in scripture are tied together and ultimately, everything is revealed in Jesus
  • E – Early Meaning and Manuscript – Understanding what was written in the earliest manuscripts and what was the meaning at the time?
  • D – Dialect – Understanding the culture and language that was used.

The Bible declares in Genesis that all animals were plant eaters (herbivores) before the flood. Why do we find that dinosaur fossils show an abundance of carnivorous animals which contradicts the Bible?

• *BUZZER* The Bible does not say this at all.
• Facts:
  • Genesis 2:17 – death came to humans because of Adam and Eve’s sin
  • Romans 5:12 – sin entered the world through one man and brought death to all people (not animals or plants, people)
  • There was death before the fall
  • Adam and Eve must have had to eat something even if that something was only plants. Plants are alive, but die when they are eaten.

If Noah’s flood really took place as described, and if the boat came to rest somewhere in the middle east (as described), how did animals like kangaroos and pandas get from there to other continents which have a huge expanse of ocean between?

• The flood was not GLOBAL, but localized
• Australia was never under water during the flood
• Genesis 41:56–42:6 and 1 Kings 10. The same Hebrew word, ’eres, translated as “the earth” in the Flood account, is translated as “the world” in these passages. So their meaning is essentially interchangeable.
• In Genesis 41:57 we read, “[A]ll the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.” Genesis 42:5–6 clarifies that the famine had spread throughout the whole of the Egyptian Empire and the land of Canaan. “The world” in this context refers to a major region of human civilization rather than to the entire globe.
• The writer of 1 Kings 10:24 declares that “The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.” Again, the succeeding verses clarify what “the whole world” encompassed. Rulers came from as far away as Sheba (modern Ethiopia) and all the lands of Arabia, probably not from Antarctica or Greenland.
• Geographically restricted references to the world may be seen in the New Testament also. In Acts 2:5 Luke describes Jews living in Jerusalem as “devout men from every nation under heaven” (ESV). Most Bible interpreters would agree this passage does not necessarily include Mayans or Aztecs or Chinese. DNA tests confirm that no first-century Jews came from Mesoamerica or the Far East.
• In Romans 1:8 Paul says of the Roman Christians, “Your faith is being reported all over the world.” In Colossians 1:6 he writes, “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you.” Some translations of Luke mention Caesar Augustus’ decree to tax “the world.” For each of these passages the context indicates the writer’s reference to the Roman world, the extent of the Roman empire.
• In all these and other Bible passages the words translated as “all the world,” “the whole world,” “every nation under heaven,” and “all over the world” refer to geographical or geopolitical regions somewhat less extensive than planet Earth’s entire surface. Therefore, one may reasonably conclude that references in Genesis 6–8 to “all the surface of the earth,” and “under the entire heavens” need not imply a globally extensive event.

If a dear friend believed that the earth was flat (a “flat-earther“) by claiming that all pictures and videos which show a sphere shaped planet are man-made lies, would you be able to convince them that the earth is a globe?

• We would certainly use everything at our disposal to do so.

Similarly, is there any amount of evidence that would change your view about the validity of the Bible?

• Absolutely! If you could get rid of/explain away the scientific/mathmatical evidences
• There are many:
  • Kalam Cosmological Argument
  • Teleological Argument
  • Ontological Argument
  • Moral Argument
  • Resurrection FEAT
    • Fatal Torment (Jesus was scourged and beaten prior to crucifixion. Hdied at the hands of skilled executioners)
    • Empty Tomb (All parties involved agree: The tomb was empty. Neither the Jewish authorities nor the Roman government refuted this fact)
    • Appearances (Jesus appeared to many people. The Bible claims this and did so at a time when many people could have come forward to deny it. Nobody did)
    • Transformation (The transformation of the disciples from scared and disappointed to strong men of faith is something that cannot be ignored)
  • Statistics
  • Prophecy

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