Post by DrGadget on Nov 8, 2009 0:39:45 GMT -5
This is an atheist asking the questions
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDHJ4ztnldQ&feature=player_embedded#
My answers:
1. God can heal amputees. I’ve never seen it happen, but I’ve seen other miraculous healings. I’ve also never seen God heal acne, but that pales in comparison to bringing someone out of a coma. Also, I’m not sure that God has never done it in the past. The guy in the video said, “We all know that amputated legs do not…” I don’t know that. I’ve never seen it happen.
2. There are starving people in India for the simple fact that it’s mostly a Buddhist country. They produce enough food to export to other countries. But they won’t kill rats for religious reasons. The rats eat the food, and people starve. In other places there is starvation as a result of wars. God gave us free will and we have been abusing it. I can kidnap you and starve you if I really want, because that is my choice. It’s a clear abuse of free will, and God allows it for now. Otherwise, He would step in and prevent me from doing so. And if He did that, why stop there? Just prevent me from performing any sinful acts at all.
There is a remedy for that. 2 Chronicles 7:14. The Christians must turn from their wicked ways. God places the blame on the Christians (Jews at the time). God doesn’t listen to prayers from non-Christians. They can pray for food all day long and get nothing. But if the Christians of the land got right with God, then God would heal their land and bless them.
And that last rhetorical question (Why would a loving God do this?) is just plain wrong. I’ve heard many people ask this over and over, as if it’s some kind of proof that God doesn’t exist. The question itself is wrong. God is first and foremost HOLY, HOLY, HOLY. Any other of God’s attributes take a back seat to His holiness. It’s not a loving God who allows it, but a holy God who allows it. There’s a huge difference.
Then the guy tries to put words in my mouth like saying God wants the children to die. That’s not true either. God is not willing that any should perish. He wants everyone to get saved (2 Peter 3:9). And then he goes back to the loving caring God thing. He’s on the wrong track.
3. He’s an idiot. He wants to know why God demands the death of so many innocent people. Then he lists these people and they are all sinners. Sinners are not innocent.
4. He runs his mouth about science. He’s clearly an atheist, and I’m assuming an evolutionist. He starts out listing the products of science, including the car, cell phone, microwave oven, TV, and computer. These really are products of science. And yet he fails to list a single product as a result of evolutionary science. This wasn’t an oversight. There are no products based on “evolutionary science”. Evolution is not science. The things in the Bible that he claims to know never happened did happen. He’s just wrong. He wasn’t there. There is plenty of scientific evidence to prove the Earth is younger than 10,000 years old. He’s just never bothered to examine any of it or ponder it. Why? For the same reason he attributes to Christians. It’s too painful so he brushes it off and moves on.
5. God is not a proponent of slavery. He’s a proponent of liberty.
The Exodus verse talks about punishments for masters who mistreat their slaves.
The Colossians verse is for “servants”. Everyone is a servant to someone. Serve your master as you would God.
Ephesians says the same as Colossians.
Peter said the same, but added that we should suffer beatings from our masters. Why? Because Jesus suffered beatings for us. We need to act like Christ.
Now look at
Romans 8:21 calls liberty glorious.
2 Corinthians 3:17 says where the Spirit of God is, there is liberty.
Galatians 5:1 says we should stand fast in the liberty of Christ and not let anyone subject us to bondage.
And the whole Book of Philemon is about a runaway slave named Onesimus. He ran away from his owner Philemon and found Paul. Paul preached the Gospel and Onesimus was saved. He urged Philemon to take Onesimus back, but as a brother and not as a slave.
Throughout history, Man has been in varying degrees of servitude to Man. God acknowledges the existence of servitude, slavery, and bondage. But He wants us to choose liberty.
6. Bad things happen to everyone. There are no “good people”. There are sinners who are unsaved, and there are sinners who are saved. All are sinners. None are good.
However, God treats the saved differently when it comes to bad things happening. If you are a child of God, Satan needs to ask God’s permission before he can do bad things to you (Job 1 and 2). God allows Satan to do only those bad things which ultimately make us stronger.
Romans 8:28
[28] And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
7. Wrong. Jesus’s miracles left behind His Apostles. They wrote of it. As for physical evidence, the Scribes and Pharisees asked Him for some, as a sign (Matthew 12:38-40). Jesus told them the only sign (physical evidence) would be that of the prophet Jonah. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for 3 days, Jesus would be buried in the heart of the Earth 3 days.
On Easter Sunday, the Scribes and Pharisees got their sign. It was an empty tomb. There was no explanation for it, other than Jesus had risen from the dead. And don’t think for a second they didn’t scour the land looking for Jesus’ body. Good luck with all that. He had been resurrected. There was no dead body.
8. Jesus has appeared to me. He gave me some very timely, accurate, and specific information on an extremely pressing problem I was having with my car. Why would I go around telling people that Jesus has never appeared to me? That would be a lie.
This guy is an atheist. If HE prays for Jesus to appear, nothing happens. That proves nothing. Jesus doesn’t answer his prayers. Jesus answered my prayer.
9. Jesus said, “Do this in memory of Me.” That’s why (Luke 22:19).
I don’t believe in transubstantiation. I don’t believe the bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Not that Jesus couldn’t make such a thing happen, but it doesn’t mesh with the message. You can NEVER get too much of Jesus Christ. But if you drink too much Communion wine, you will get drunk, which is a sin. If the wine was actually the blood of Christ, then it wouldn’t be a sin. It would be a holy thing to be overcome by the blood of Christ. But it’s not. You’re drinking the Lord’s cup unworthily.
10. Because we have many Christians who are backsliders, pew sitters, cold, indifferent, out of touch, etc. Being a Christian doesn’t automatically mean you’re right with God. You can still be way out of God’s will.
This goes back to 2 Chronicles 7:14 again. Let’s look at the text.
[14] If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
My people (Christians) who are called by My Name (Christ) need to humble themselves, pray, seek My face (meaning God’s face), and turn from their wicked ways. Christians are acting wickedly. Divorce is a wicked act. They should have entered into marriage more soberly, and treated it more seriously.
But if the Christians repent and do all those things, God will hear them, forgive their sins, and heal their land. Notice there is no mention of what the atheists do. They are not part of the equation. Christians can’t blame the country going to hell on the atheists. We are the ones who are not humbling ourselves, praying, seeking God’s face, and turning from our wicked ways.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDHJ4ztnldQ&feature=player_embedded#
My answers:
1. God can heal amputees. I’ve never seen it happen, but I’ve seen other miraculous healings. I’ve also never seen God heal acne, but that pales in comparison to bringing someone out of a coma. Also, I’m not sure that God has never done it in the past. The guy in the video said, “We all know that amputated legs do not…” I don’t know that. I’ve never seen it happen.
2. There are starving people in India for the simple fact that it’s mostly a Buddhist country. They produce enough food to export to other countries. But they won’t kill rats for religious reasons. The rats eat the food, and people starve. In other places there is starvation as a result of wars. God gave us free will and we have been abusing it. I can kidnap you and starve you if I really want, because that is my choice. It’s a clear abuse of free will, and God allows it for now. Otherwise, He would step in and prevent me from doing so. And if He did that, why stop there? Just prevent me from performing any sinful acts at all.
There is a remedy for that. 2 Chronicles 7:14. The Christians must turn from their wicked ways. God places the blame on the Christians (Jews at the time). God doesn’t listen to prayers from non-Christians. They can pray for food all day long and get nothing. But if the Christians of the land got right with God, then God would heal their land and bless them.
And that last rhetorical question (Why would a loving God do this?) is just plain wrong. I’ve heard many people ask this over and over, as if it’s some kind of proof that God doesn’t exist. The question itself is wrong. God is first and foremost HOLY, HOLY, HOLY. Any other of God’s attributes take a back seat to His holiness. It’s not a loving God who allows it, but a holy God who allows it. There’s a huge difference.
Then the guy tries to put words in my mouth like saying God wants the children to die. That’s not true either. God is not willing that any should perish. He wants everyone to get saved (2 Peter 3:9). And then he goes back to the loving caring God thing. He’s on the wrong track.
3. He’s an idiot. He wants to know why God demands the death of so many innocent people. Then he lists these people and they are all sinners. Sinners are not innocent.
4. He runs his mouth about science. He’s clearly an atheist, and I’m assuming an evolutionist. He starts out listing the products of science, including the car, cell phone, microwave oven, TV, and computer. These really are products of science. And yet he fails to list a single product as a result of evolutionary science. This wasn’t an oversight. There are no products based on “evolutionary science”. Evolution is not science. The things in the Bible that he claims to know never happened did happen. He’s just wrong. He wasn’t there. There is plenty of scientific evidence to prove the Earth is younger than 10,000 years old. He’s just never bothered to examine any of it or ponder it. Why? For the same reason he attributes to Christians. It’s too painful so he brushes it off and moves on.
5. God is not a proponent of slavery. He’s a proponent of liberty.
The Exodus verse talks about punishments for masters who mistreat their slaves.
The Colossians verse is for “servants”. Everyone is a servant to someone. Serve your master as you would God.
Ephesians says the same as Colossians.
Peter said the same, but added that we should suffer beatings from our masters. Why? Because Jesus suffered beatings for us. We need to act like Christ.
Now look at
Romans 8:21 calls liberty glorious.
2 Corinthians 3:17 says where the Spirit of God is, there is liberty.
Galatians 5:1 says we should stand fast in the liberty of Christ and not let anyone subject us to bondage.
And the whole Book of Philemon is about a runaway slave named Onesimus. He ran away from his owner Philemon and found Paul. Paul preached the Gospel and Onesimus was saved. He urged Philemon to take Onesimus back, but as a brother and not as a slave.
Throughout history, Man has been in varying degrees of servitude to Man. God acknowledges the existence of servitude, slavery, and bondage. But He wants us to choose liberty.
6. Bad things happen to everyone. There are no “good people”. There are sinners who are unsaved, and there are sinners who are saved. All are sinners. None are good.
However, God treats the saved differently when it comes to bad things happening. If you are a child of God, Satan needs to ask God’s permission before he can do bad things to you (Job 1 and 2). God allows Satan to do only those bad things which ultimately make us stronger.
Romans 8:28
[28] And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
7. Wrong. Jesus’s miracles left behind His Apostles. They wrote of it. As for physical evidence, the Scribes and Pharisees asked Him for some, as a sign (Matthew 12:38-40). Jesus told them the only sign (physical evidence) would be that of the prophet Jonah. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for 3 days, Jesus would be buried in the heart of the Earth 3 days.
On Easter Sunday, the Scribes and Pharisees got their sign. It was an empty tomb. There was no explanation for it, other than Jesus had risen from the dead. And don’t think for a second they didn’t scour the land looking for Jesus’ body. Good luck with all that. He had been resurrected. There was no dead body.
8. Jesus has appeared to me. He gave me some very timely, accurate, and specific information on an extremely pressing problem I was having with my car. Why would I go around telling people that Jesus has never appeared to me? That would be a lie.
This guy is an atheist. If HE prays for Jesus to appear, nothing happens. That proves nothing. Jesus doesn’t answer his prayers. Jesus answered my prayer.
9. Jesus said, “Do this in memory of Me.” That’s why (Luke 22:19).
I don’t believe in transubstantiation. I don’t believe the bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Not that Jesus couldn’t make such a thing happen, but it doesn’t mesh with the message. You can NEVER get too much of Jesus Christ. But if you drink too much Communion wine, you will get drunk, which is a sin. If the wine was actually the blood of Christ, then it wouldn’t be a sin. It would be a holy thing to be overcome by the blood of Christ. But it’s not. You’re drinking the Lord’s cup unworthily.
10. Because we have many Christians who are backsliders, pew sitters, cold, indifferent, out of touch, etc. Being a Christian doesn’t automatically mean you’re right with God. You can still be way out of God’s will.
This goes back to 2 Chronicles 7:14 again. Let’s look at the text.
[14] If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
My people (Christians) who are called by My Name (Christ) need to humble themselves, pray, seek My face (meaning God’s face), and turn from their wicked ways. Christians are acting wickedly. Divorce is a wicked act. They should have entered into marriage more soberly, and treated it more seriously.
But if the Christians repent and do all those things, God will hear them, forgive their sins, and heal their land. Notice there is no mention of what the atheists do. They are not part of the equation. Christians can’t blame the country going to hell on the atheists. We are the ones who are not humbling ourselves, praying, seeking God’s face, and turning from our wicked ways.
