SO YOU WANT ME TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN?
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124. Even if your god did create the universe, why does he want to be worshipped? Is your god an egomaniac?
If He created the universe, then He created you and me. It would to me seem only natural that He get His "props," or all due honor and glory. -
125. What are your beliefs concerning Wicca? ("white witchcraft"). How much do you know about Wicca?
Honestly, I do not know much about Wicca. On the other hand maybe you can ask the white witch (wiccans) why they are so secretive about their practices. -
126. What do you think the word "Satanist" means?
Someone who specifically follows Satan and worships him by name -
127. How do you explain the fact that the word "blood" occurs over 400 times in the Bible? Isn't this a rather savage way to write a book that is supposed to be at the center of an ethical system?
Possibly. But look at how much blood has been shed throughout history. Is it not possibly to say that we are savage people? -
You could try Oceanos. However, I don't think he follows the Wiccan Rede that closely, especially the part that says "an it harm no one, do as thou wilt".Originally posted by fandango:125. What are your beliefs concerning Wicca? ("white witchcraft"). How much do you know about Wicca?
Honestly, I do not know much about Wicca. On the other hand maybe you can ask the white witch (wiccans) why they are so secretive about their practices. -
128. Throughout the Bible, your god commands his followers to wage merciless war on unbelievers (Luke 22:36, Deuteronomy 13:8, Exodus 20:23-25, Deuteronomy 20:16, Matthew 10:34, Numbers 31:17-18, etc). If you are one of his followers, why aren't you out waging merciless war on unbelievers?
I believe that these verses all refer to self-defense. If the Israelites had just waltzed into the Holy Land, they would have been slaughtered. Since the vast majority of them were not going to become believers in Him, as I said earlier, it may not have been much of a difference (yes, once again, I knew that it is a cruel thing to say). I guess you could say that it was "proactive self-defense." -
129. Numbers 23:21 says that your god "has not seen wickedness in Israel." If this is so, explain why your god burned Israelites for complaining (Num 11:1), sent a plague against them for eating the meat he had given them (Num 11:33), why he burned people for using incense (Num 16:35), why he sent a plague against the Israelites who accused Moses of wrongdoing (Num 16:44-49), and why he sent fiery snakes among the Israelites (Num 21:5). Is your god a liar, or was it just more convenient for him to lie at that particular place and time, or what?
I believe He is talking about those Israelites who followed His commands. -
130. What was it that was so bad about eating an apple that death had to result from that act?
Firstly, the bible never mentioned that the fruit is an apple. Now, it was rebellion against God. It wasn't the fruit, but the act. It made us think that we were (or at least should be) the center of the universe. -
131. What was it about humanity's torturing and killing of your god's only son that made your god so happy that he again promised eternal life to everyone who believed in him.
The Bible doesn't say that it made the Father happy; it says in fact that He had to turn His face from it. He understood that that was the only final solution to the "sin question," as it were, so Jesus as God the Son went down to earth and did this. -
132. How do you explain that Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus?
There are multiple ways to deal with this. The first is that one (Matthew) represents Joseph's lineage, where as Luke represents Mary's lineage. The second is that they both represent Joseph's lineage, but one represents his actual, biological lineage, while the other gives his legal linage, for when there were no children, so heirs had to be brought up through the various Old Testament practices. Also, omitting names and changing the spelling of names was perfectly acceptable at that time. -
133. Matthew says that the prophecy given in Matthew 27:9 was given by Jeremiah. How do you explain that this prophecy was not given by Jeremiah at all, but by Zechariah (in Zech 11:12)?
I did not find a specific prophecy about this. The closest thing I could find is Jeremiah 32:6-9, which is only a parallel. -
134. Matthew says (in Matt 2:21) that Jesus dealt in Nazareth so that he could fulfill a prophecy stating that the Messiah would be called a Nazarene. Where is this prophecy in the Old Testament?
The term "Nazarene" also means "branch." This prophecy is in Isaiah 11:1 -
135. Matthew says that on the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus was riding on an ass and a colt (Matt 21:7). How do you explain that the original prophecy (Zech 9:9) stated that Jesus would be riding on only one ass, and the other gospel writers place Jesus only on one ass (Mark 11:7, Luke 19:35, and John 12:15)?
Two different versions I have read say that colt is the donkey's child. -
136. In Matthew 1:23, Matthew has the angel say that Jesus would be born of a virgin. However, the prophecy that Matthew is referring to, Isaiah 7:14, uses the Hebrew word almah, which simply means a young woman. It has nothing to do with sexual purity; the Hebrew word for virgin is bethulah. How do you explain this?
Simple. At those times young women (assumed to be unmarried) were supposed to be virgins, and if they weren't, they would be stoned to death. This is unlike today, where almost the exact opposite is true. -
137. Isaiah 7:16 seems to say that before Jesus had reached the age of maturity, both of the Jewish countries would be destroyed. Where is the fulfillment of this prophecy in the New Testament?
Look at the context. I don't think that "the two kings you dread" would be Judah and Israel, but Israel and Aram. The entire land around and including Judah had been conquered by the Babylonians, then the Persians, then the Greeks, and finally, at the time of Christ, the Romans. -
138. Matthew 1:23 says that Jesus would be called Immanuel, which means "God with us." Why does no one (not even his parents) call him Immanuel at any point in the New Testament?
God literally was with them. See John 1:1, 14, as well as Colossians 2:9. -
139. How many inconsistencies in the Bible, other than those mentioned in this paper, do you know of? Cite chapter and verse for as many as you have room for.
On the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry Web site (http://www.carm.org/), there are dozens of "inconsistencies," under the title "Biblical Difficulties." There are too many there to list here. But one thing to note is that they have answers for every one of the "inconsistencies". -
140. If even the contemplation of sinning is a sin (i.e. "sinning in your heart"; see, for example, Matthew 5:2
and if Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert (Matthew 4:5-8, Luke 4:5-9), how can you say that Jesus was without sin?
The Bible doesn't say that Jesus thought about sinning; it only says that Satan tempted him. There are three main things that make us sin: the devil, the world, and the flesh. The flesh is the one that is responsible for "sinning in your heart." Because of His divine nature, Jesus did not and could not sin in your heart. -
141. Does your sect believe that the existence of your god can be established through a formal proof? Why or why not?
The existence of God is a supernatural mystery. However, one can use logical reasoning to say that the evidence points in one direction or another. I believe using logic that it can be shown that the evidence points in favor of Christ. -
142. Pick a famous argument for the existence of your god, then criticize that argument. (Assume I mean for you to use the academic definition of criticize).
1. The universe exists.
2. The universe cannot be infinitely old because if it were, it would have entered into a state of complete entropy infinitely long ago.
A. Entropy is the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which states that all things are moving towards chaos and no-usable energy. In other words, everything is running down.
3. The universe is not in a state of complete entropy, therefore it is not infinitely old.
4. Since the universe is not infinitely old, it had a beginning.
5. The universe could not have brought itself into existence.
6. Something before the universe and greater than the universe had to bring the universe into existence.
7. That something is God.
I only have problems with step 7. This is, granted, somewhat of a leap, but for me, the only thing that could fit the criteria (something older than and greater then the universe) is God. Otherwise, this appears to be a logical and convincing proof. -
143. Pick an argument against the existence of your god. If it is not a famous argument, copy it down here. Criticize this argument. (Assume I mean for you to use the academic definition of the word criticize).
Proposition: God can do all things.
Statement: Can God make something so big he cannot pick it up? If He can, then he cannot do all things because he could not pick up the rock. If He cannot, then He cannot do all things because he cannot make a rock so big He can't pick it up.
Conclusion: Since God can do all things and we have shown that there are things he cannot do, therefore, God does not exist.
THE PROBLEMS WITH THIS ARGUMENT:
Proposition: God cannot violate His own nature; that is, He cannot go against what He naturally is.
Statement: God's nature does not permit Him to lie, to not be God, etc.
Conclusion: Therefore, the statement that God can do all things, is not true and the conclusion raised against God is also not true. -
144. What does your sect think of the government? Read Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 13. Now what do you think of the government? If necessary, reconcile the two views.
Before: I don't have an opinion on whether or not government is good or evil. It can be used for both purposes. Look at Jesus; He didn't even disapprove giving taxes to Caesar!
After: Not really changed. Again, Paul says in verse 6 that we should pay taxes. -
145. What is your definition of the word Christian?
One who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for our sins on the cross, and has asked Him into his/her life. -
146. Why do you think it is that the ancient Greeks, who had a very liberal sexual morality, had many fewer sex crimes (compared to the population) than the United States, which is 85% Christian?
As you yourself said, they had a liberal sexual morality. Not as much of what they did would have been considered a crime. -
wow.. u r reaching the finishing point soon