| |
| The attempt of this page is to talk about common issues that come up in religious discussions today. Many of these are difficult questions, and because I know there are several prespectives, I welcome discussion on these issues. If you want to make a comment or ask a question, you're welcome to sign my guestbook (at home)! |
| Frequently Asked Questions about Christianity |
1) Didn't science prove that the universe, biological life, etc. were not created but evolved? The word "evolution" means to adapt to an environment or change over time. It is something that does happen to all life. The Bible does say that we as humans came from two people, Adam and Eve. Yet we are very diverse now because we spread out and evolved into different races and ethnicities that look unique. Many people beleive our current knowledge points against creation, but science did just the opposite; showed the design in the complexity of the natural world. When we investigate a scene to try to determine what happened there, we have too look at the evidence. Biological life, even in its simplist forms, is so complex that it is beyond the technology that we have today, after years and generations of design, ingenuity, and enhancement. All of our machines, from the wheel to the PC are built for a reason and come from someones creative thought. Each part was added for a reason. So why assume that "machines" that are much more sophisticated and complex, like our eyes, ears, heart, immune system, etc were most likely not a creative design, but just came together into perfect working order by themselves? Many say the answer is simply "evolution." However, the term "evoltution" is a very broad term that simply describes the ways that a species is able to change and adapt over time to fit its environment. Yes, life does evolve. But scientifically, it is a stretch to claim that this process of adaptation created life in the first place, and is repsonsible for all creative power. That requires an enormous amount of blind faith in the creative power of randomness and unthinking raw materials driven to come together into working order by simple laws of physics. Science did in fact prove that man and animals are made from inanimate matter: Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, water, minerals, and salt. The difference is that the Bible says God made man from "dust." Without God, the dust would have globbed itself together on it's own to make a man, just stretched over millions of years. Some accept that this is not only scientifically possible, but that it is the most probable answer. I don't see much evidence to back that up. You be the judge. 2) What does the "gospel" have to do with life today? How do we know which "religion" is right? Religion is a very wide term, which really can mean anything. Sometimes we tend to classify those with strong beliefs in deities, spiritual concepts, or "higher powers" as "religious," and look at them all together in the same category, which is separate from those called "secular" such as atheists or agnostics. However, God, as described in the Bible, is not mystical or totally intangible. He doesn't change based on anyone's traditions, culture, generation, or particular world view or opinion. He's simply there, and people understand him in different degrees. We sometimes hear that everyone has particular "religious" beliefs and all are credible, most should not be disputed as long as they don't do obvious harm to others. However, religious systems, just like science, should be based on truth and reality- not myth and fantasy, not opinion, or blind faith in made-up concepts and ideas. Some say that if you asked 100 people who "God" is, you would get about 100 different answers, so we really don't know, can't know who he is and everyone is equally right. However if you asked 100 people who killed JFK or what photosynthesis is, you would probably also get 100 different answers! Not because "there's no real answer," or that those facts are subjective and depend on your opinions, culture, particular world view or comfort. There are ACTUAL answers. But our ideas vary because we only know PARTS of what is true, and some of us have been sold false information from things like propoganda and rumor. There is one truth to each question, we come up with different answers because of our limited knowledge. The truth is objective and does not depend on us, it just IS. So how is Jesus separate from all this? How do we know the God of the Bible is not made up? Well, first off, the Bible is not just one book, even though we read it that way today. It is a collection of 66 books by 44 authors, over 1500 years, in 3 languages, written from 3 continents. The people who added to it were male and female, rich and poor, and from too many ethnicities to name. I think of it as similar to scientific journals or media articles all related to one idea. It's more of a survey or collection of testimonies about one subject- God and their dealings with him. The Bible calls itself the "Word" of God- or his promises, his nature, and his identity written down. If we want to know who a person is, it is very wise to examine their "Word." When we do investigations or research, we use similar "words" - we look at eyewitness statements, articles, testimony from family members, and expert wisdom. Inevitable there are real "words" and fake "words" - falsified evidence. So how do we know which written text is really the "Word" and which is propoganda? We must examine our natural word and see what checks out. The Bible claims that the "Word" of God is written not only in text, but also all over his creation, and in the hearts and minds of people. He's given signs and predictions of who he is, what he would do, and how he would save us. Some ways the key concepts in the Bible are backed up by the natural world: -If there is a God, he must be good and good is more powerful than evil, in fact evil has NO power to come against him: - Look at two concepts we know and understand scientifically: Light and Heat vs. Darkness and Cold. Light is more powerful than darkness, heat more powerful than cold. Light and heat are tangible entities- they are real, tangible entities while "darkness" and "cold" are really just their absence! Darkness can be very dark, cold very powerful - both can affect the world. People can die of being too cold. Darkness can seem to make people blind. However, the power of darkness is APPARENT- not real. If it is darkness is present, it's ONLY power comes from the ABSENCE of light. If light is present, and it is powerful- there is no fight, there is no contest. The darkness MUST leave- it cannot overcome light. The same applies to cold in the presence of strong heat. JESUS is described in the Bible as the Light of the world, that the darkness in the world could not overcome. (John 1) The only power could be given to evil (darkness, cold), was the absence of God's presence. The "devil" of the Bible, in order to have power through evil, had to convince people to reject God. (Genesis 1-4) -Jesus the killed and resurrected Lord: -In the Bible, God is said to give predictions or "prophecies" about who he was and how he would save the world. Many are unsure that the idea of resurrection and therefore of Jesus. There are many promises written in the Bible about the man who would overcome evil and save everyone. (Genesis 3- Offspring or "seed" of the woman, Isaiah 53 - the suffering servant who would take our punishment on his own head, and many others). However if this "Word" of God is also written on creation, where are the "prophecies" of resurrection? Look at the cycle of our days- everyday the sun goes down and it gets dark, only for it to rise and brighten the earth the next day. We lay down and sleep - go unconcious for hours - and wake up every morning. Look at the seasons- every year things get cold and everyting looks dead. Leaves die, animals hybernate, plants wither. But every spring it warms up again, the animals wake up, the trees bud, and the plants and flowers spring up to "life" again. For evidence in human nature (Word written on the hearts and minds of people), look at how we treat those who reveal truth. Martin Luthur King Jr, John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, Galileo, Albert Einstein. All persecuted and had their ideas - or even their lives - "crucified" in their time, but they were later honored and their ideas are now in every law and textbook we have. Is it really that far fetched to believe that if our Lord, who WAS the embodiement of Truth itself, came to teach us and save us, we would kill him, then later God would raise him? 3) If the Old Testament God is good, why doesn't it seem that way from reading what He did and the commands he gave? 4) Christianity says people are saved through their faith in Christ. What does the Bible say about people who have never heard the name Jesus? 5) How can anyone believe in the Bible when Christians in history have done so many horrible things? |
 |
|