Modern science once taught that the Earth was flat, and the church backed that teaching.  What does the Bible actually say about that?

Sincerely,
Throwing A Curveball

Dear Throwing A Curveball,

It was the Catholic church (not the Lord’s church) that supposedly backed the “flat earth” dogma.  Without getting into too much history, let’s just say that even that isn’t completely accurate.  The Catholic church argued with Galileo over whether or not the Earth was the center of the universe, but pretty much everyone agreed at that point that the Earth was round.  The idea that religious people are ineptly backward when it comes science is a myth propagated by those who would have people believe that only atheists can be logical and scientific.
However, back to your question.  The Bible refers to the “circle of the Earth” in Isa 40:22.  The word used for ‘circle’ is the same Hebrew word for a sphere.  Though the Bible is a book about spiritual things, when it touches on science it is always accurate.

Prove that God is real.

Sincerely,
Just The Facts

Dear Just The Facts,

We could spend pages answering your question. The most difficult part of your question is trying to summarize the thousands of evidences for God’s existence. Please consider the following list as an abridged look at the topic.

Top 5 Reasons There is a God:

1. The world was either created, or it came from nothing. If we are created, then there is a Creator. Consequently, one of the most basic rules of science is that something never comes from nothing (see an explanation of the first law of Thermodynamics here). The energy that exists in our universe had to come from somewhere.
2. Life never comes from non-life. All living things come from other living things. There is no such thing as spontaneous generation. Evolution teaches the opposite. Evolution states that all living creatures descend from one-celled organisms that were randomly created from inorganic material billions of years ago. That is scientifically impossible.
3. Life is complex. Complexity requires design – and consequently a Designer. Blood cells, dragonflies, oak trees, giraffes, etc. are all IMMENSELY complex and intricate things. It doesn’t make sense to say that they were randomly formed – they have far too much design.
4. Humans feel shame. Shame and guilt are uniquely human conditions that make no sense from an evolutionary standpoint. If we evolved to survive, and only to survive, there would be no reason for humans to have ethics. Why would we care about right and wrong unless we were created by a Creator who instilled these beliefs in us?
5. Humans hunger for religion. As a rule, human beings are religious. We crave spiritual knowledge and eternal wisdom. We often seek it in all the wrong places, but the fact still remains that we desire eternal purpose for our lives. A case can be made that there is nothing that we desire that can’t be fulfilled. We hunger; there is food. We thirst; there is water. We want companionship; there is the opposite gender. You are incapable of having a desire that cannot be slaked. This is more of a philosophical argument, but it can be argued that since we all seek God – God must exist.

We can guarantee you that we did not even begin to do the subject of proving God’s existence justice. If you would like to look at the issue in-depth, we recommend going to www.answersingenesis.org to get further scientific evidence for God. We also recommend the books Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel and Icons of Evolution by Jonathan Wells. And last but not least, we highly recommend the movie Expelled featuring Ben Stein. All of these resources will provide you with an intimate and compelling argument that God most definitely does exist.

I know I need God in my life, and I want to believe, but I keep getting stuck on things like how God existed before everything, heaven, hell, and eternity.  I can’t wrap my mind around those concepts.  I know the Bible is real; it proves itself, but how do I comprehend God when we’ve never seen miracles, visions, Jesus, etc.?  All today’s Christians have is the Bible; is this fair for us today when people back then had all these signs?

Sincerely,
Hard To Believe

Dear Hard To Believe,

Miracles had one very specific purpose – to give evidence that the apostles, prophets, and Jesus were from God.  Paul called miracles “the signs of an apostle” (2 Cor 12:12).  Heb 2:4 states that God bore witness to the apostles and prophets through “signs and wonders”.  Even the enemies of Christ agreed that miracles were a sign of divine approval (Acts 4:16).

Ironically, even though you and I often think that miracles would make more people believe, we know that isn’t true.  During Jesus’ life, He performed more good deeds and miraculous acts than could be written down (Jhn 21:25)… and yet, they crucified Him because they didn’t believe.  Moses parted the Red Sea in front of an entire generation of Israelites who walked through on dry ground… but all of that generation died in the wilderness because they didn’t believe (Heb 3:17-19).  Generations of Jews saw miracles, heard prophecies, and still turned their back on God’s will.

Miracles don’t make people faithful.  It takes an honest and humble heart to turn to God… and miracles or no miracles, that has never changed.  As you said, you know the Bible is real, and it proves itself.  What you do about it is a matter of examining your character, and a miracle wouldn’t change that.

No one can comprehend the totality of God or His invisible greatness, but the evidence is all around (Rom 1:20).  Even the greatest mathematicians can’t wrap their brains around infinity, but we understand the basics of the concept, and that is enough to know that we need to begin preparing for it.

Why is Christianity the right religion?

Sincerely,
Which Way?

Dear Which Way,

The best way to show Christianity is the right religion is to show the uniqueness of the Bible.  If the Bible is from God, then Christianity is right. The writers of the Bible admit that it is their hands that wrote it (Gal 6:11), but they also explain that God’s Spirit guided those hands (Eph 3:3-4). If that is true (and it is!), then the Bible would show signs that it was written by God and not man. Here are some simple reasons that the Bible is unique from every other book:

1. It is 100% scientifically accurate. Isa 40:22 mentions the earth being round. Job 36:27-28 explains the water-vapor cycle. These and other verses mention scientific principles that were not understood until centuries later.
2. It never contradicts itself. Over 40 different writers penned the pages of the Bible. They came from different walks of life and different eras, yet no one has ever found a contradiction from Genesis to Revelation.
3. It has been perfectly preserved throughout history. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint are copies of the Bible written 1,000 years apart, and yet, there is no difference in the text.
4. No book is as widely distributed as the Bible. Written in over 2,500 languages and sold by the billions, the Bible is the most published book on the planet. No other book comes even close.
5. The Bible is accurate in prophecies. The prophecies of Tyre (Eze 26:3-21) and Babylon (Isa 13:19-22, Isa 14:23) give specific, detailed accounts of the fall of those cities. Those prophecies were written many years before the events took place, and yet they came to pass exactly as the Bible foretold.

These are only short answers to the question ‘Why is the Bible unique?’, but they are a good start when discussing the issue with someone. If you want a more detailed answer, I recommend Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell and Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel as great reference material on this topic.

How can we be 100% certain the Bible is real, complete, and unchanged?

Sincerely,
Best Evidence Please

Dear Best Evidence Please,

The best way to show it is to show the uniqueness of the Bible. The writers of the Bible admit that it is their hands that wrote it (Gal 6:11), but they also explain that God’s Spirit guided those hands (Eph 3:3-4). If that is true (and it is!), then the Bible would show signs that it was written by God and not man. Here are some simple reasons that the Bible is unique from every other book:

1. It is 100% scientifically accurate. Isa 40:22 mentions the earth being round. Job 36:27-28 explains the water-vapor cycle. These and other verses mention scientific principles that were not understood until centuries later.
2. It never contradicts itself. Over 40 different writers penned the pages of the Bible. They came from different walks of life and different eras, yet no one has ever found a contradiction from Genesis to Revelation.
3. It has been perfectly preserved throughout history. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint are copies of the Bible written 1,000 years apart, and yet, there is no difference in the text.
4. No book is as widely distributed as the Bible. Written in over 2,500 languages and sold by the billions, the Bible is the most published book on the planet. No other book comes even close.
5. The Bible is accurate in prophecies. The prophecies of Tyre (Eze 26:3-21) and Babylon (Isa 13:19-22, Isa 14:23) give specific, detailed accounts of the fall of those cities. Those prophecies were written many years before the events took place, and yet they came to pass exactly as the Bible foretold.

These are only short answers to the question ‘Why is the Bible unique?’, but they are a good start when discussing the issue with someone. If you want a more detailed answer, I recommend Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell and Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel as great reference material on this topic.

    I have trouble explaining my relationship with God.  And if someone asks me to tell them what Jesus means to me, I want to know how to explain it.

Sincerely,
Speechless

Dear Speechless,

It is a wonderful thing that you want to be able to explain what you believe and why you believe it.  Peter said that every christian should be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within them (1 Pet 3:15).  We are going to point you to some previous posts that should be of use to you in getting a grasp on why Christianity is the hope of all humanity.

1. Here is an article that gives evidence for God’s existence – “Does God Exist?”
2. Here is an article with evidences that the Bible is God’s Word – “Who Wrote The Bible?”
3. Here is an article which deals with what it takes to become a christian – “Five Steps To Salvation”
4. Here is an article that explains Jesus’ church and all the religious confusion in the world – “Down With Denominationalism”

Those should be enough to give you some verses and answers for many of the basic questions a christian needs to respond to.  Once again, you deserve a pat on the back for wanting to be ready to give an answer for your beliefs.

     How am I to understand Psalm 19:1-4 when it says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.  Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.  There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.  Their line has gone out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world.  In them, He has set a tabernacle for the sun.”(NIV)?

Sincerely,
Declaring My Confusion

Dear Declaring My Confusion,

Ps 19:1-4 is dealing with the same issue as Rom 1:20.  God designed the world, so it would be a testimony to Him.  God’s invisible attributes are so clearly seen in this world that it is as if the heavens are literally crying out about God’s glory.  Paul quoted Psalm 19 in Rom 10:18 as a proof that all mankind has evidence of God’s existence.  His creation leaves us without excuse.

     Who wrote the Gospel of Mark, and how do we know the author was inspired by God?

Sincerely,
Genuine Article

Dear Genuine Article,

The Gospel According to Mark is generally agreed to have been written by John Mark.  This is based upon early church historians and comments made by early christian writers.  It isn’t necessary that we know who penned the book of Mark, but that is the general consensus.  John Mark would have been in a perfect position to write an account of Christ’s life having been a traveling companion of both Paul and Barnabas (Acts 12:25) and being a part of a family of early converts to Christianity (Acts 12:12).

We know that the Gospel of Mark is inspired for the same reason that we know the rest of the New Testament is inspired.  Mark’s book repeats the same details as the other gospels, it shows all the same characteristics of inspiration as the rest of the Bible, and the early christians (who would have personally known the writer) accepted it as an inspired account of Christ’s life.  Read “Who Wrote The Bible?” for a more in-depth explanation of evidence that God authored the Bible.

      How do you respond to someone saying they do not believe in God because they think believers are brainwashed from an early age?

Sincerely,
Thinking For Myself

Dear Thinking For Myself,

When faced with someone who believes that Christianity is based off of a mindless faith, we try and show people the evidence that points toward Christianity.  After all, many people convert to Christ after growing up in atheistic and anti-religious households.  You might point out to this person that not all christians were raised to be that way; many choose it later in life.  If that peaks their interest, you might point them to some of the evidence for God’s existence.  We recommend that you read the post “Does God Exist?” for a list of some of those evidences.

     I have gone to church all my life.  I have never had an issue with my faith; I’ve always believed, but recently, with a lot of negativity towards religion and science explaining everything, I feel like I am losing my faith rather quickly.  Do you have any words of wisdom that can help me believe truly again?

Sincerely,
Need To Believe

Dear Need To Believe,

Everyone faces times of doubt in their life; the key is to strengthen the weaknesses in our resolve.  Like the man who cried out, “I believe, help my unbelief!” (Mk 9:24), all christians must recognize that faith must grow and increase over time.
Faith is the evidence of things not seen (Heb 11:1).  We can’t see God, but there is plenty of evidence that He exists.  The whole creation cries out as evidence of God’s existence (Rom 1:20).  As science and our knowledge of the natural world have increased, the proof of God’s existence has increased as well.  Books like Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel, Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel, and Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell are excellent resources that make clear the existence of the God of the Bible.  Take the time to fill your mind with information from sources like those mentioned above, and you will find yourself more confident in no time (Php 4:8).
God tells us to come and “reason together with Him” (Isa 1:18).  There are entire scientific communities such as Answers In Genesis that are dedicated to the study of the science that proves God’s existence. There are reasons and evidences that prove that God exists, and it is surprising how few people ever talk about those evidences.  We have an entire category in our archives dedicated to evidences that God exists and the Bible is His Word because we here at AYP are so frequently asked about that topic.
Not only is it possible to prove God exists, it is possible to prove that He authored the Bible.  The Bible is the most unique book in the world.  The Bible is scientifically accurate (though written long before modern science), historically accurate (down to the last archeological detail), prophetically accurate (the Bible predicts events down to the smallest detail hundreds of years in advance), and it never contradicts itself (even though the Bible was written over the course of hundreds of years by dozens of different writers).  In a world of rare writings, the Bible stands alone.  For further details, read our post “Who Wrote The Bible?”.

There is no doubt that God exists – the evidence speaks for itself.

     I am currently a Deist, not tying myself to any one religion or belief; however, I do believe that there is a Supreme Being, One who orchestrated the birth of the universe.  However, I also believe in the findings of our scientists, such as the Big Bang theory and the scientific theory of evolution.  Because I believe in a god, but not a Christian god, where does that leave me on that Great Day (according to Christianity)?  I just figure that if Christianity WAS the correct path after all, would that “kind and just” God send me to an eternity of damnation, or would He understand my doubts because He created me in His own image?

Sincerely,
Deist

Dear Deist,

It is understandable with all of the opinions that are thrown around as science for you to feel torn between belief in God and the belief in evolution, but it isn’t enough to believe in a generic god – we must place our faith in the God.  After all, even the demons admit belief in deity… but that won’t save them on the Day of Judgment (Jas 2:19).  Jesus is a very exclusive Savior.  He very boldly claims, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no comes to the Father, but by Me.” (Jhn 14:6).  If you don’t have a life of faith built upon following Christ, you won’t be saved.  That may sound harsh, but let’s talk about the evidence that God provides to make it possible for a deist to turn into a christian.

First of all, all faith is built upon some sort of evidence.  That evidence may be historical data (like when you trust traffic lights to work properly because they have statistically done so in the past), it may be personal experience (i.e. when you trust a friend because they have shown good judgment and loyalty in the past), or circumstantial evidence (like when a jury convicts a murderer based upon the evidence presented to them – even when there weren’t eyewitnesses at the scene of the crime).

Your belief that there is some sort of Supreme Being is probably based upon some sort of basic evidence from the world that you see around you.  Rom 1:20 says that God has provided evidence of His existence in the creation around us.  From galaxies to atoms, this world shows the signs of design.  A design requires a Designer.  God’s handiwork is seen in the finely-tuned craftsmanship of the human eye, just like Nikon’s handiwork is shown in the craftsmanship of their cameras.  You’ve done well to acknowledge His existence in a general way… but we would beg you to keep digging deeper.

Don’t be dissuaded by the scientists that say we evolved from goo.  First of all, not all scientists are evolutionists – no matter what the media tells you.  Thousands of biologists, geologists, doctors, paleontologists, etc. believe in the Creator of the Bible, and they are intellectually honest in doing so.  The scientific evidence has led them to the Bible, not away from it.  Second of all, things like evolution and the Big Bang are a way of interpreting the scientific data, not a concrete finding from the data.  One scientist sees a bed of fossils, and because he doesn’t believe in God, he interprets that the fossils were created over millions of years.  Another scientist sees the same fossil bed, and because he does believe in God, he interprets that a catastrophic event (like Noah’s Flood) is what caused such a sudden build up of fossils and silt.  They see same evidence, but come to vastly different conclusions.  Read “Atheism-Colored Glasses” for further details on the subject of scientific bias.

Next, after looking at the general evidence of God’s existence, it is time to look at the specific evidence of the Bible’s supernatural origins.  The Bible is a unique book; it is a book that no human could ever write.  We would encourage you to read “Who Wrote The Bible?” for a comprehensive list of reasons why the Bible is a book that only God could have written.  Once we begin to see the evidence for the Bible’s divine origins, we have no choice but to ask ourselves, “Will I follow God’s Word?”.

God expects us to follow Jesus because He has given us plenty of evidence that Jesus is the one and only true Son of God.  We would encourage you to follow the evidence – it will lead you straight to Jesus the Christ.

I was wondering if it is worth studying Scripture on a deeper level given my Bible is written in English.  From what I understand, the New Testament was originally written in Greek.  Since I am not a scholar or speak that language, I might not understand the fullest meaning behind the passages.  Is the Bible meant for average folks to study in their own native language?

Sincerely,
It’s All Greek To Me

Dear It’s All Greek To Me,

The Bible is definitely meant to be understood and studied by average folks!  There is quite a lot of chatter that the Bible has been mistranslated or that a translation leaves you unable to truly understand what the Bible writers intended – this is not true.  When Jesus quoted the Old Testament, He quoted from the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament.  The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, but Jesus felt comfortable quoting from the Greek language version.  This tells us that God has no problems with using translations to convey His wisdom to every culture and language on the planet.  As long as you have a good word-for-word translation (read “What’s The Best Translation” for details on what that means), you will be just fine.

Every day, vital documents are translated into other languages without mishap.  Peace treaties, corporate contracts, wills, trusts, and many other legal arrangements are made from one language to another.  Linguists are skilled professionals that are able to properly convey the same ideas from one language to another, and major Bible translators are especially circumspect and fastidious to properly translate from the original Greek and Hebrew.  Never fear, you have God’s Word just as much as the first-century christians did.

All the major faiths of the world preach that only through following their teachings and believing in their god will one reach heaven.  This means everyone else goes to hell.  To a christian, all the muslims are hell-bound.  To a muslim, all the christians are infidels and will never reach God.  I find it hard to believe that a loving God would set up half the world for failure.  Each faith is strict about the requirements to spend eternity with God.  How do we come to terms with this concept that ours is the only way?

Sincerely,
Too Exclusive

Dear Too Exclusive,

One of the key components to any religion is that we accept that particular religion’s god as he is.  It isn’t fair to simultaneously try and find which god is real (Allah, Buddha, Jehovah, etc.) and also have a pre-conceived notion about how we want God to behave.  If the Muslim’s are right, then Allah exists, and it doesn’t matter whether Allah is loving or not – Allah is what Allah is.  If the Buddhists are correct, it doesn’t matter whether we like reincarnation or not – reincarnation exists.  The same is true with Jehovah, the God of the Bible.  God is who God is, without regard to our opinion of how we feel He ought to be.  We may feel that He has “set up” a large portion of society for failure, but if the God of the Bible is real (and we feel confident He is!), we must take Him at His Word that all have evidence of His existence and are without excuse if they don’t follow Him (Rom 1:20).

The key to finding which god is the true God is to look at the evidence – primarily the key documents for each religion.  When you compare the Koran, the Dharma, the Veda, and other books of faith to the Bible… there is no comparison.  The Bible is accurate scientifically, prophetically, historically, and contextually consistent; it never contradicts itself and contains truths that only God would know and yet can be proven true by practice.  We highly recommend you read our article “Who Wrote The Bible?” for further explanation of the proof that the Bible is from God.  When analyzing religion in the search for truth, follow the evidence, and it will always lead you to the Bible.

I work with a co-worker who claims to be an atheist.  There are a myriad of apologetic books that speak to these types of people and their claims.  However, I would like to seek your insights on how to best reason with this person.  In the process of talking with him, he has actually asked me to share Scriptures of encouragement that he could share with his girlfriend.  I have bought him his first Bible, Bible Dictionary, and a pamphlet on how to study the Bible, which he was moved by and gladly received.  I also offered to study with him, but he has not yet accepted my offer.  Still, he needs to be convinced that God is real and that we did not get here by accident.  Is there a simple format or practical approach I can use?

Sincerely,
Theist

Dear Theist,

Ironically, one of the best places to start with an atheist is to discuss their faith.  The relationship you mentioned sounds like it is a “talk when we can” sort of situation, and so it can be hard to cover anything in a systematic, step-by-step way.  Lord willing, you will eventually be able to have a sit-down class with this individual, but until then, you are really just trying to get him thinking about how important this issue is.

In the past, we have talked with our atheist friends about their faith, and it can really jar their eyes open.  Most atheists believe they don’t have faith, but this simply isn’t true.  An atheist cannot prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is no God any more than you or I can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is.  At some point, both the atheist and the theist have faith.  Faith is an inevitable element of life.  Anytime you trust something you can’t see, it is an act of faith (Heb 11:1).  When we take an aspirin, we have faith that it isn’t laced with arsenic.  When we drive, we have faith that the traffic light is telling the other lanes to stop when it tells us to go.  We visit restaurants because we have faith in the recommendation our friend gave us, and we buy houses based on our faith in the home inspector’s report.  Everyone lives by faith – this is an important aspect of life.  If your atheist friend had no faith, he couldn’t function in life.

This is a great place to start because when an atheist realizes that they already live by faith, you can begin to discuss the fact that faith is based off of evidence.  We believe in God because we have been given enough evidence that we can reasonably believe in His existence.  Read “Does God Exist?” for a basic list of evidences.  When an atheist begins to view their life as a life of faith, it changes the discussion from “science vs. religion” to “which faith do I choose?”.  In our humble opinion, this is a good, practical place to start.

My question pertains to one omitted book of the Bible, in particular, the book of Enoch.  I have learned that certain religions have omitted certain books, mainly the Gnostic gospels.  I have found adequate reasons for these New Testament scriptures to be omitted in certain cultures, but what about the book of Enoch?  I have recently purchased a book containing the writings of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and it includes the book of Enoch!  I was SOOO excited because I had previously purchased a single copy of this book, but couldn’t find any evidence of it containing any truth.  The Dead Sea Scrolls and my purchased book of Enoch are in correlation. Also, in the book of Jude 1:6, there are references made to the fallen angels which are made known in the book of Enoch!  What is this mystery all about?  Did they omit it because people were somehow calling upon fallen angels (or their offspring) by name (demonic worship)?  Is this book valid?

Sincerely,
Connecting Dots

Dear Connecting Dots,

There are many writings that were included with the Dead Sea Scrolls that have non-biblical origins.  There are non-biblical writings that include commentaries on the Old Testament, paraphrases that expand on the Law, rule books of the community, war conduct, thanksgiving psalms, hymnic compositions, benedictions, liturgical texts, and wisdom writings.  Just because the book of Enoch was included in the Dead Sea Scrolls doesn’t mean that it ought to be included in the Bible.

The question of what books to include in the Bible and what books to exclude as false is a major issue – and it is an issue that the early christians had to face.  Twenty-seven books are included in the New Testament canon (the word ‘canon’, when applied to Scripture, means ‘the officially accepted list of books’), and each one of these books is documented by early christians as being a divinely-inspired piece of literature.  In other words, the early christians believed that God wrote it.

The key to understanding why some books are included in the Bible and other books (even books from the same time period) are excluded is to remember that the Bible claims to be God’s Book (2 Pet 1:19-21).  The early christians (or Jews in the case of the Old Testament) lived during the time when these books were being written, and they were fully aware of who was doing the writing.  Today, we can’t tell which religious documents were written by apostles and which documents were written by heretics… but the early christians certainly could!  If someone claimed that a letter was written by the apostle Paul, all they had to do to verify the authenticity of the letter was to ask Paul for themselves.  The early christians were in the best position to differentiate between authentic apostolic writings and manmade documents.  This is exactly why the early church quickly adopted the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, and they have been almost universally accepted as the only New Testament books ever since.  Numerous historical documents verify that the New Testament canon that we use today was accepted, read, collected, distributed, and used by the early christians from very early on.  People who seek to say that they have “found” some new Bible books that have been missing from the canon have to prove that their books were accepted by christians (or Jews if discussing Old Testament canon) from the beginning – no one has been able to do that.

Hi.  I guess that this isn’t your typical question, but I figured that you guys would be able to help me.  I am doing a project where you pick a famous person, research them, and then make a presentation to persuade a panel of judges (the teachers) to vote your person into an imaginary “world hall of fame”.  I decided to pick Jesus.  But my teacher said that He would be “hard” to find accurate resources on, so I would have to have three by this Friday.  Would you guys know two factual books on Jesus?  I already have the Bible as one resource.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Honor Student

Dear Honor Student,

There are hundreds of books that are written about the historical life of Jesus.  Let’s start with some of the ancient writings that attest to Jesus’ life.  Apart from the Bible, here is a list of ancient writers that spoke about Jesus.

1. Josephus, the Jewish historian, wrote multiple times about Jesus in his book, Antiquities.
2. The historian, Thallus, mentions the darkness that fell over the land at the time of Jesus’ death.
3. The Roman historian, Tacitus, wrote of Jesus’ crucifixion at the hands of Pontius Pilate.
4. Pliny the Younger recorded the practices of early christians and their worship of the man Jesus.
5. The Babylonian Talmud confirms Jesus’ crucifixion just before Passover and the accusations against Jesus.
6. Mara Bar-Serapion, a Syrian who lived sometime between the late first century and the early third century, wrote a letter to his son (which is preserved in the British Museum) that mentions Jesus as a wise man that was put to death for His wisdom.

These aren’t the only writings on the topic of the historical Jesus, but they are certainly the oldest.  Two great modern books that cover the historicity of Jesus of Nazareth are More Than A Carpenter by Josh McDowell and The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel.

Is God real?

Sincerely,
Searching

Dear Searching,

Your question is one of the fundamental questions of life: “Does God Exist?”  It is important that everyone asks this question at some point in their life; it is a basic question that is worthy of an honest answer.

We will try to give you some key evidence that there is a Creator, but we will also point you in the direction of some resources that may help you in your quest for answers.  So here we go:

1. Look at a watch and ask yourself the question, “Is this designed?”  Of course, a watch is designed – just like a house, a car, a camera, and other modern technological marvels.  You know they are designed because they are complex, they have purpose, and they are organized in a meaningful way.  Now look at your eye, your hand, even a single follicle of hair.  Are they designed?  They are infinitely more complex than a watch.  They have very distinct purposes, and they are all organized in a meaningful way.  You were designed by God; you have a Designer.  If you believe in watchmakers, you can believe in God.
2. The most basic laws of science tell us that nothing ever comes from nothing (1^st Law of Thermodynamics).  Einstein made it clear that nothing can be destroyed; energy can turn into matter and matter into energy, but everything that is here has always been here.  That begs the question, “Where did it all come from?”  Scientists all agree that everything we see had to come from somewhere, but the only logical answer to that question is ‘God’.  God, a supernatural deity not bound by the laws of physics, created all that we see and enjoy in this universe.
3. God’s Word is also proof that God is.  The Bible is a book that only God could write.  It has prophecies that are fulfilled hundreds of years after they are spoken.  It has remained unchanged by tradition or persecution for thousands of years.  It makes statements about how our world works hundreds of years before scientists realized the concepts for themselves.  The Bible is a book composed by over forty different writers over thousands of years, and yet it has no contradictions within it.  The Bible could not have been written by anyone but Deity.

These are just three reasons to believe in God; there are many more that space prevents us from mentioning.  We also recommend you go back and read through the posts in our EVIDENCES category.  You will see that you aren’t the only one who has questions about God, and you will also see that there are answers to every question.  We also recommend reading Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel and Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel. Both books are well worth the read.

What’s wrong with saying “I don’t know”?  Throughout history, I’ve never, even once, read or heard of a society that, instead of using supernatural events to explain how we all got here, actually said, “Well, we just don’t know”.  I sometimes wonder if the contents of the Bible are simply a result of our inability to admit we just don’t know something.  It seems to me if people want to know the answer to something bad enough, they always somehow find or come up with one every time, letting nothing stand in there way, not even reality.  What are your thoughts?

Sincerely,
Everybody Knows Everything

Dear Everybody Knows Everything,

There is nothing wrong with saying “I don’t know”.  In fact, we often have to admit that to people who ask questions on AYP.  God even says that there are some secret things we won’t understand in this life (Deu 29:29).  If the Bible were only a story of how we got here, it would rank amongst the thousands of other myths and legends created by cultures to explain mankind’s existence.  However, the Bible is unique.  The Bible is different than any other book ever written.  If God were to write a book, it would be no more impressive than the Bible.  The Bible is full of detailed prophecies written hundreds of years before their fulfillment, it is scientifically accurate (i.e. the Bible taught the world was round centuries before mankind realized it was – Pr 8:27), it is archaeologically accurate, and it is flawlessly without internal contradiction… even though it was written by over sixty different writers over thousands of years.  In short, the Bible is a book that couldn’t be written by man.  It contains details and facts that no human being could know.  We believe the Bible’s account of history because the Bible is unlike any other book.  For more information on the Bible’s origins, read “Who Wrote The Bible?”.

It’s a fact that Jesus did exist, but other than the Bible, how can anyone prove that He really is the Son Of God and not the son of a Roman soldier named Pantera, and how can anyone prove that He really did have divine powers such as healing the sick… and not doing magic activities or any other occult acts?

Sincerely,
Corroborative Evidence

Dear Corroborative Evidence,

The differences are in the details – the story of Jesus’ life has lots of them.  History has lots of myths and fables of people performing otherworldly deeds, but when someone tells a myth, it never has specific details, and it never can be corroborated.  Jesus’ life is exactly the opposite.

1. We know exactly when He was born and in what city (Lk 2:1-4).
2. We know His exact name and family lineage (Matt 1:1-17).
3. We know how He died, where He died (Jhn 19:17), and where He was buried (Mk 15:43).
4. There were eyewitnesses to the empty tomb (Mk 16:3-5).
5. There were eyewitnesses to the resurrected Jesus (1 Cor 15:4-8).

Jesus was attested to by His followers and secular writers like Josephus and Tacitus.  There is a clear and accurate historical record of Jesus’ life that was written within a generation of His lifetime and was undisputed by those most capable of presenting evidence against His resurrection.  Early Christianity flourished because of Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and the ready and available evidence to corroborate the story.  It is important to remember that Jesus’ followers died for their belief that He was raised from the dead and that the message of Jesus’ resurrection spread in the very same city where He was crucified.  If they hadn’t really seen an empty tomb and a risen Jesus, the apostles would never have given their lives for the cause of Christ, and Christianity’s enemies would have quickly produced His dead body to refute the story of a risen Jesus.  Unlike myths and fairy tales, Jesus’ life is detailed, documented, and corroborated by the historians and contemporaries of His day.  For a more in-depth study on extra-biblical evidence for Jesus, we recommend reading The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel.

Why do christians accept the New Testament canon?

Sincerely,
Authenticating Orders

Dear Authenticating Orders,

The question of what books to include in the Bible and what books to exclude as false is a major issue – and it is an issue that the early christians had to face.  Twenty-seven books are included in the New Testament canon (the word ‘canon’, when applied to Scriptures, means ‘the officially accepted list of books’), and each one of these books is documented by early christians as being a divinely-inspired piece of literature.  In other words, the early christians believed that God wrote it.

The key to understanding why some books are included in the Bible and other books (even books from the same time period) are excluded is to remember that the Bible claims to be God’s Book (2 Pet 1:19-21).  The early christians lived during the time when these books were being written, and they were fully aware of who was doing the writing.  Today, we can’t tell which religious documents were written by apostles and which documents were written by heretics… but the early christians certainly could!  If someone claimed that a letter was written by the apostle Paul, all they had to do to verify the authenticity of the letter was to ask Paul for themselves.  The early christians were in the best position to differentiate between authentic apostolic writings and other manmade documents.  This is exactly why the early church quickly adopted the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, and they have been almost universally accepted as the only New Testament books ever since.  Numerous historical documents verify that the New Testament canon that we use today was accepted, read, collected, distributed, and used by the early christians from very early on.  People who seek to say that they have “found” some new Bible books that have been missing from the canon have to prove that their books were accepted by christians from the beginning – no one has been able to do that.

How do you, or the majority of christians, know that Jesus was the Messiah?  There are so many other messiah stories that occurred thousands of years before Christ, and all the ones I’ve read have the same story as Jesus.  How would you know if the Jesus story is plagiarized from other messianic tales?

Sincerely,
Cite Your Sources

Dear Cite Your Sources,

The differences are in the details – the story of Jesus’ life has lots of them.  History has lots of myths and fables of people performing otherworldly deeds, but when someone tells a myth, it never has specific details, and it never can be corroborated.  Jesus’ life is exactly the opposite.

• We know exactly when He was born and in what city (Lk 2:1-4).
• We know His exact name and family lineage (Matt 1:1-17).
• We know how He died, where He died (Jhn 19:17), and where He was buried (Mk 15:43).
• There were eyewitnesses to the empty tomb (Mk 16:3-5).
• There were eyewitnesses to the resurrected Jesus (1 Cor 15:4-8).

Jesus was attested to by His followers as well as secular writers, like Josephus.  There is a clear and accurate historical record of Jesus’ life that was written within a generation of His lifetime and was undisputed by those most capable of presenting evidence against His resurrection.  Early Christianity flourished because of Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and the ready and available evidence to corroborate the story.  Unlike myths and fairy tales, Jesus’ life is detailed, documented, and corroborated by the historians and contemporaries of His day.

How do you explain to someone about books that contradict the Bible, like “The Jesus Letters” and “The Book of Yahweh”?  I don’t know how to prove that they are false doctrine when they are claiming to be “historically accurate”.  Help please.

Sincerely,
Fighting Fables

Dear Fighting Fables,

The question of what books to include in the Bible and what books to exclude as false is a major issue – and it is an issue that the early christians had to face.  Twenty-seven books are included in the New Testament canon (the word ‘canon’, when applied to Scriptures, means ‘the officially accepted list of books’), and each one of these books is documented by early christians as being a divinely-inspired piece of literature.  In other words, the early christians believed that God wrote it.

The key to understanding why some books are included in the Bible and other books (even books from the same time period) are excluded is to remember that the Bible claims to be God’s Book (2 Pet 1:19-21).  The early christians lived during the time when these books were being written, and they were fully aware of who was doing the writing.  Today, we can’t tell which religious documents were written by apostles and which documents were written by heretics… but the early christians certainly could!  If someone claimed that a letter was written by the apostle Paul, all they had to do to verify the authenticity of the letter was to ask Paul for themselves.  The early christians were in the best position to differentiate between authentic apostolic writings and other manmade documents.  This is exactly why the early church quickly adopted the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, and they have been almost universally accepted as the only New Testament books ever since.  Numerous historical documents verify that the New Testament canon that we use today was accepted, read, collected, distributed, and used by the early christians from very early on.  People who seek to say that they have “found” some new Bible books that have been missing from the canon have to prove that their books were accepted by christians from the beginning – no one has been able to do that.

How is heaven real?

Sincerely,
Searching For Evidence

Dear Searching For Evidence,

Heaven, like all spiritual things (angels, God, demons, Satan, hell, etc.), is invisible… but still very real.  There are many things in life that we can’t see, but the evidence proves that they exist.  We can’t see the air, but there is a lot of evidence that it exists.  We can’t see the core of the earth, but evidence proves it to be real.  Gravity is invisible, but it still holds us to the ground.  Just because we can’t see heaven doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

We know heaven exists because we know that God wrote the Bible, and the Bible says that heaven is a real place (Php 3:20).  We recommend reading the article “Who Wrote The Bible?” on the subject of Bible evidence.  We may not be able to see heaven, but it is as real as can be.

I just received your answer.  However, it has only spawned more questions.

You say that the Bible says the earth is round, and the Bible has written of this.  But what about all the verses of the Bible that suggest that the earth is flat?  “Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea” (Job 11:9)… just to name one (other than all the verses that talk about the ends of the earth).  And how Matthew talks about how the devil took Jesus to the top of a mountain to view all the kingdoms of the earth?  You can’t do this within a sphere.

About the contradictions, I know of one that I’ve personally noticed while reading the Bible during my confirmation.  (Exodus 33:11) “And the Lord spake to Moses face to face, as a man speaketh to his friend.” Compare that to Exodus 33:20: “Thou canst not see My face, for there shall no man see Me and live”.  This is only nine verses later!

About the Bible being widely distributed, that’s not a big deal to some. The Iliad was written more than 500 years prior to the Bible, and it’s unchanged.

I was raised in a religious family, and I have a lot of problems with Christianity.  I have never been able to get straight answers on most topics.  I even read Lee Strobel’s book… I thought it was garbage and biased.  I don’t know if I’ll ever believe again but would really like answers because if I’m wrong, well, I need to know if I am.

Sincerely,
Thoughtful Again

Dear Thoughtful Again,

We’ll handle your questions one at a time.

1. None of the verses you mentioned state that the earth is flat.  Job 11:9 simply compares the expanse and width of the earth to the depths of God’s wisdom (Job 11:7)… a figurative comparison, not a literal one.  Furthermore, all the verses that discuss “the ends of the earth” are exactly the same as when we use that terminology today.  People will often say things like, “I would go to the ends of the earth to find my true love”… that doesn’t imply the earth is flat – it is simply a common turn of phrase that is used in multiple languages.  Lastly, when the devil showed Jesus the kingdoms of the earth from the top of a mountain, you failed to read the rest of the passage.  Lk 4:5 says that the devil showed him all the kingdoms of earth in a moment of time – this was obviously a miraculous occurrence, not a topographical issue.
2. Ex. 33:11 is another case of taking a phrase out of context.  Moses spoke to God “face to face” only in the sense that he talked to God “as a man talks to his friend”.  You have to remember to take context into account with everything that you read.  It is a very common problem for people to “cherry pick” verses out of their context and miss what a verse is really saying.
3. The Iliad is not nearly as widely distributed as the Bible.  The less than seven hundred ancient manuscripts that exist of The Iliad are only in agreement 67% of the time.  On the other hand, there are over 17,000 ancient manuscripts of the Bible… they are in 99% agreement.  A pretty huge difference in quality.
4. As far as your belief that Strobel’s book is biased… how do you account for the fact that he was an atheist before he began writing it?  Also, he isn’t the only author to write on this subject.  We would be happy to recommend dozens of books on this topic if you are interested.

We are so thankful that you are willing to honestly examine the evidence.  You may have never received straight answers in the past, but as you can see… we are happy to offer them here.  This is the most important subject you will ever look into.

I am an atheist who is actively searching for belief in God.  Is this something that can be achieved?  Can somebody with an open mind shift beliefs?

Sincerely,
Thoughtful

Dear Thoughtful,

Your question is one of the fundamental questions of life: “Does God Exist?”  It is important that everyone asks this question at some point in their life.  It is a basic question that is worthy of an honest answer.  We here at AYP believe that anyone with an honest heart can examine the evidence and change.  We believe in God because of the evidence.

We will try to give you some key points that there is a Creator, but we will also point you in the direction of some resources that may help you in your quest for answers.  So here we go:

1. Look at a watch and ask yourself the question, “Is this designed?”  Of course, a watch is designed – just like a house, a car, a camera, and other modern technological marvels.  You know they are designed because they are complex, they have purpose, and they are organized in a meaningful way.  Now look at your eye, your hand, even a single follicle of hair.  Are they designed?  They are infinitely more complex than a watch.  They have very distinct purposes, and they are all organized in a meaningful way.  You were designed by God; you have a Designer.  If you believe in watchmakers, you can believe in God.
2. The most basic laws of science tell us that nothing ever comes from nothing (1^st Law of Thermodynamics).  Einstein made it clear that nothing can be destroyed; energy can turn into matter and matter into energy, but everything that is here has always been here.  That begs the question, “Where did it all come from?”  Scientists all agree that everything we see had to come from somewhere, but the only logical answer to that question is ‘God’.  God, a supernatural deity not bound by the laws of physics, created all that we see and enjoy in this universe.
3. God’s Word is also proof that God is.  The Bible is a book that only God could write.  It has prophecies that are fulfilled hundreds of years after they are spoken.  It has remained unchanged by tradition or persecution for thousands of years.  It makes statements about how our world works hundreds of years before scientists realized the concepts for themselves.  The Bible is a book composed by over forty different writers over thousands of years, and yet it has no contradictions within it.  The Bible could not have been written by anyone but Deity.

These are just three reasons to believe in God; there are many more that space prevents us from mentioning.  We also recommend you go back and read through the posts in our EVIDENCES category.  You will see that you aren’t the only one who has questions about God, and you will also see that there are answers to every question.  We also recommend reading Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel and Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel. Both books are well worth the read.

What makes you so sure that Jesus is god, and that God is god? Krishna was born a thousand years prior from a virgin, and was the savior of his people.  What makes you disbelieve Thor, Zeus, Mithra and all the other gods that were invented prior to Yahweh?  I honestly want to know what you’re answers are to these.  I’m not being sarcastic.

Sincerely,
Many Messiahs

Dear Many Messiahs,

The best way to show that Jesus is God is to show the uniqueness of the Bible because the Bible is what testifies to Jesus’ deity. The writers of the Bible admit that it is their hands that wrote it (Gal 6:11), but they also explain that God’s Spirit guided those hands (Eph 3:3-4). If that is true (and it is!), then the Bible would show signs that it was written by God and not man. Here are some simple reasons that the Bible is unique from every other book:

1. It is 100% scientifically accurate. Isa 40:22 mentions the earth being round. Job 36:27-28 explains the water-vapor cycle. These and other verses mention scientific principles that were not understood until centuries later.
2. It never contradicts itself. Over 40 different writers penned the pages of the Bible. They came from different walks of life and different eras, yet no one has ever found a contradiction from Genesis to Revelation.
3. It has been perfectly preserved throughout history. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint are copies of the Bible written 1,000 years apart, and yet, there is no difference in the text.
4. No book is as widely distributed as the Bible. Written in over 2,500 languages and sold by the billions, the Bible is the most published book on the planet. No other book comes even close.
5. The Bible is accurate in prophecies. The prophecies of Tyre (Eze 26:3-21) and Babylon (Isa 13:19-22, Isa 14:23) give specific, detailed accounts of the fall of those cities. Those prophecies were written many years before the events took place, and yet they came to pass exactly as the Bible foretold.

These are only short answers to the question ‘Why is the Bible unique?’, but they are a good start when discussing the issue. If you want a more detailed answer, I recommend Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell and Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel as great reference material on this topic.

As for Thor, Zeus, etc., there simply isn’t any evidence to testify to their validity.  We believe in Jesus because of the proof, not because He is the most appealing myth.

Many scientists say the world is millions of years old (possibly billions).  The book of Genesis says God created the world in six days.  Are we meant to interpret the Bible in a literal sense?

Sincerely,
Time Troubles

Dear Time Troubles,

Many scientists believe that the earth is billions of years old, many others are unsure, and many believe in the biblical account of creation.  In reality, the scientific community is still undecided.  The biggest reason for this is philosophical.  Depending on whether a scientist believes in God or not, his conclusions to the data will be different.  Many scientists assume that there is no God before they even see the data!

The Bible does say that the world was created in six literal days, and the internal context of the Book doesn’t give us any reason to read those days as figurative.  Groups like www.AnswersinGenesis.org are finding more and more evidence that backs the biblical story of Creation.  It isn’t a battle between science and the Bible (Rom 1:20); it is a battle between believers and unbelievers.

My husband and I love science, exploration, and discovery documentaries.  They are very interesting, but unlike a lot of people, I believe the Lord made all these things on the earth for us that we may marvel at His intelligent design of all things on this planet and the universe and give Him the glory.

As a christian, I personally believe in the whole explanation of the creation.  I also believe that the Word of God is accurate, time-tested, and completely true.  But what does the Bible say to those who believe in evolution?  These people (some believers included) think the description of how man was created may be wrong because of the way it is written and because it leaves a lot of room for false interpretation.

And, let’s face it, I’m sure that a lot of us have a million questions for the Lord about why the Bible was written the way it was and why certain things are not even talked about.  This gives unbelievers reason to try to place doubt into our minds.  However, would you agree with me that it takes more faith to believe in evolution than it does to believe in God’s creation the way it is explained?  I guess my question is as I asked before: what does the Bible say to those who believe only in coincidence and/or evolution?

Sincerely,
Natural Wonderer

Dear Natural Wonderer,

Ironically, the Bible doesn’t say much to those who believe that we are all a cosmic accident.  The only verse in the Bible that specifically deals with atheism is Ps 53:1 which says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ ”  From God’s perspective, there is so much abundant evidence of a Creator that an honest heart will admit it.  Statistically, this is also true – even with the rampant spread of evolutionary teachings, only a miniscule percentage (1.6%) of the American population consider themselves atheists.  Rom 1:20 states that God built the universe, so it might stand as ever-sufficient evidence of His existence.

Studying Creation evidence is an enjoyable and wonderful thing.  We here at AYP have an entire section devoted to Bible Evidences, but ultimately, if someone has totally disregarded the existence of God… Psalm 53:1 says they will be a very hard nut to crack.

I’m worried.  I don’t go to church.  I don’t pray.  I do good deeds, and I try to live right, but my friends keep saying I am gonna go to hell because I believe in evolution and the Big Bang.  Will I end up in hell?

Sincerely,
Good Enough?

Dear Good Enough,

Though evolution and the Big Bang are worthwhile issues, they aren’t the core values that impact our eternity – Jesus is.  Jesus made a radical claim when He walked this earth; He claimed that sin had created a giant rift between mankind and God (Rom 6:23) and that He had come to heal that rift (Jhn 3:16).  Either Jesus is telling the truth, and He is the only way to receive reconciliation with God in order that we may go to heaven (Jhn 14:6), or Jesus was a liar and should be disregarded like all other crazy people.

The validity of Jesus’ claims stand or fall on the authenticity of Bible.  If God wrote the Bible, then Jesus is the only way to heaven, and all His teachings must become our roadmap to life.  We here at AYP believe that the evidence very clearly points toward the Bible being divinely inspired and unique among literature.  Read the article “Who Wrote The Bible?” for our favorite evidence that the Bible is God’s Word.

It is a sign of your character that you are anxious and worried about this issue.  Where we will spend eternity is the most important question we have to answer in this life.  We believe Jesus is God’s Son and that He is the redeemer of our souls when we put our faith in Him (1 Pet 1:9).  If after seeing the evidence we present on this site (and if you have more questions, please continue to ask them), you agree that the Bible is God’s Word – then praying, attending a faithful church (we can help you find one – not all churches follow the Bible), and all the other details of behavior fall into line.  We aren’t saved by doing good deeds; we are saved by faith in Jesus… good deeds are just part of a living and obedient faith (Jas 2:17-18).

If you have further questions about what it takes to be saved, the Bible, Jesus, or any other spiritual concerns, do not hesitate to e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

Is Jesus real?

Sincerely,
McCoy

Dear McCoy,

Absolutely!  Jesus is real, and the Bible accounts of Him are also real.  There are historical accounts of Jesus by an ancient writer named Josephus that attest to Jesus’ existence.  Archaeological evidence of the church dates back to the first century… within a couple generations of when Jesus lived.  This archaeological data is very important because it confirms that the message of Christ spread during a time in history when people could confirm His empty tomb, His miracles, and His hometown history.  In short, if Jesus was a fake, the people of that time period would have stopped a false legend from spreading… but the opposite was true.  Jesus’ church and message spread because the story was true and couldn’t be refuted.  For more information on this topic, we highly recommend the book A Case For Christ by Lee Strobel.

So, I recently started a conversation about God with a friend who is an atheist, and I’m having some trouble putting words together.  I’m starting to get a little fired up, and I know that’s only going to result in anger and misspoken points.  I’m posting the last bit of our conversation:

FRIEND: How can one be sure?  An eternity is endless, meaning that all things will come to pass.  Consider this; if you believe in this eternal place, all things WILL happen there.  Will you not one day go mad with boredom?  To say you will never want for more or tire of the same is impossible: you are faced with the dilemma of eternity.  Even if you believe that god is responsible for time itself, do you believe any person is suited to last forever?  I most certainly haven’t met any, by god’s ten standards or my own.

ME: Who is to say that there has to be an end or that new things won’t be created?  And I believe that every person has been suited to last forever, either in heaven or hell.  It is only by God’s grace that we as humans have the ability to live eternally one way or another.

FRIEND:  So god is responsible for our creation.  So people must be doomed to hell at their creation?  Isn’t the fault of the individual on god’s hand, not on the person?  If suited such, the person has no say in their destiny and is damned to hell for simply being as god himself created him.  So, by god’s grace (in this example, I will choose some infidel off the top of my head, hmmm… let’s say… don’t know… myself, for example) – I am dammed to hell because god made me so.  Tell me, my friend, do you believe I am suited for an eternity of hell?  You think your god made me just to hurt me?  Isn’t that evil?  Isn’t that twisted and sick?  Imagine I was made just for pain.  Now look at your god and look at his creation and tell him he is good and pure; tell him you have never questioned him and his righteousness.  Just don’t forget about those he created who cannot believe.  Then, once you have done that, I beg you to tell me that I am suited for hell for eternity.  I will laugh and go with a smile.  What other use do I have?  I was damned at creation, an eternal dog for him to beat.  Haven’t you asked yourself these same questions?

I need help figuring out a good response to his last message.  You guys popped into my head the moment I read this, so I thought I’d ask.  Thank you so much!

Sincerely,
The Debater

Dear The Debater,

Right now your friend is framing the debate by asking you to explain whether or not you like the way God is (he is wrong on a lot of these points, but, for now, dealing with every misspoken word would be more of a distraction… however, it might be worth pointing out that God doesn’t make anyone sinful – everyone is born free from sin and has the freedom to choose their own destiny; take a look at “Enough Love To Let Us Choose”).  The best defense is a good offense… it’s time to turn the tables on him.  The important question isn’t whether or not we like the way God is – the important question is: “Is there a God?”  If you can prove that there is a God, then regardless of whether you like Him, you have to deal with Him.  It is no different than having your tire go flat on the freeway – even if you don’t like it, you are still stuck!  We recommend that you tell your friend that you can present evidence that God really does exist.  Make the debate about truth, and you will win every time; this will also throw him off guard because most atheists try and flaunt that they are the intellectually honest ones.

The first thing you will need to do is prove that God exists.  Our articles “God Is Alive?” and “Does God Exist?” should help with that situation.  Something never comes from nothing, and life never comes from non-life.

The second thing is to prove that the Bible is a supernaturally written book.  The Bible is unlike any other printed material on this planet.  It contains detailed prophecies that have been documented by history as being fulfilled.  It also was scientifically accurate long before mankind understood modern science, and it has shown consistency throughout thousands of years of its existence.  Read “Who Wrote The Bible?” for an in-depth look at why the Bible had to be authored by God.

These two subjects are the beginning for all debate with an atheist.  Until we can agree that God exists and the Bible is His Word… we simply can’t go any further in the conversation.  Start there and see where it goes.  And if in doubt, dare them to askyourpreacher.org!

So the earth isn’t 6.5 million years old?  It’s a fraction of that???  So people were alive at the same time as dinosaurs?  And, in this case, a meteor wasn’t the cause of death… it was the Great Flood?  If this is in point a fact, then science to a degree is completely wrong.  Or I just may not understand.  I await to have the chance to ask God… maybe we just were not intended to know the full story on dinosaurs.

Sincerely,
Dino Doubts

Dear Dino Doubts,

There isn’t anything wrong with science, but many scientists are interpreting the scientific data using the wrong preconceived notions.  Not all scientists believe that the data points toward atheism; a growing community of scientists is realizing that the Bible is accurate and the data backs it up.  Websites like www.answersingenesis.org highlight this fact.  You are absolutely right; the full story of the dinosaurs may never be understood this side of heaven… but we can know their story will never contradict the biblical account of Creation.

What happened before Adam and Eve?  Why doesn’t the Bible really take into account dinosaurs?  Or is it in the book of Job?  There are dinosaur fossils, yet no man fossils 6.5 million years ago.  Or is carbon dating incorrect?  I need help… I’m a saved and baptized man.  I just don’t understand this one little thing, yet I know there is an answer.

Sincerely,
Dino Doubts

Dear Dino Doubts,

The world existed for five days before God made Adam and Eve on day six (Gen 1:27).  Aquatic dinosaurs were created on the fifth day (Gen 1:21-23), and land dinosaurs were created on day six (Gen 1:25).

The Bible does mention dinosaur-like animals in Job chapters 40 and 41.  If you read the description of the Behemoth and the Leviathan found in those chapters, you should see the similarities between them and the dinosaur fossils that have been found.  For further information on dinosaurs, read the posts “Jurassic Parks & Rec” and “DINOSAURS!!!”.

As for carbon dating, all half-life dating methods are based off of several assumptions.  One assumption is that the levels of carbon-14 and other isotopes have been the same throughout history.  We know this to be false because we have seen fluctuations in carbon levels even within our recent recorded history.  The second assumption is that all fossils and rocks form and degrade at a uniform rate – this also is not true.  Mt. St. Helens’ eruption in 1981 formed rocks in hours that were subsequently dated as millions of years old!  Carbon dating is a system that is based upon evolutionary assumptions.  It isn’t that the math is wrong – it is that the assumptions behind the math are wrong.  You may also find the posts “Atheism-Colored Glasses” and “A Flood of Fossils” useful.

I know this is a big topic, so sorry in advance for any cans it opens of the worm-kind.

Why does evolution have to be anti-Bible?  Even science’s answer for how things got started doesn’t take out the magic of God’s hand.  I wanted to know if I can believe what science says and follow the Good Book without contradiction.  Or do I have to choose a side?  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Straddling The Fence

Dear Straddling The Fence,

The Bible isn’t anti-science, but it is anti-evolution.  Darwinian evolution teaches that all life came from non-life and that man evolved from single-cell organisms (sometimes referred to as “goo-to-you” evolution).  The Bible specifically says that this didn’t happen.  God handcrafted Adam and Eve in His image (Gen 1:26-27).  Darwinian evolution also states that it would require billions of years to occur; God says that He made everything in six days (Gen 2:1-3).

The Bible is in complete agreement with science though.  The Bible mentions the world being round before anyone knew it (Isa 40:22), and it described the water-vapor cycle hundreds of years before modern meteorologists got it figured out (Job 36:27-28).  The Bible is completely scientifically accurate.  What most of the textbooks won’t tell you is that many scientists believe in the creation story found in the Bible.  Darwinian evolution is under attack by many scientists because the more we learn, the less plausible it becomes.  Books like Case For A Creator, Darwin’s Black Box, and Icons Of Evolution along with groups of scientists like those at Answers In Genesis are beginning to point out the flaws in Darwin’s claims.  True science backs up the Biblical account of Creation all the time.

I have a problem.  I am in a christian school, and almost every teacher there uses terms, that if you pay attention, are questioning if the students really have faith in God.  They will ask if I am a christian, and if so, to prove it.  So I’m using an opportunity, a project assigned to me in Bible class (we are making a devotional), that gives Biblical reasons for why this is wrong, so maybe I could use the Bible to show them. I can’t find any verses on the subject!  Could you help me out?  Thank you.

Sincerely,
No More Questions

Dear No More Questions,

There is nothing wrong with someone asking you to prove why you are a christian.  The Scriptures teach that we should always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is within us (1 Pet 3:15).  There may be an issue of decorum and diplomacy when a teacher is constantly peppering their students with questions like this, but it isn’t inherently wrong.  Christianity is based off of the evidence that God gives us (Heb 11:1).  Even though we don’t see God, proof of His existence is abundantly provided in both the Scriptures and the world around us (Rom 1:20).  Reasoning and deliberating over the evidence is something that God finds pleasing (Isa 1:18).  All of Christianity is based off of truth (Jhn 14:6).  It is important that every christian be able to solidly defend their beliefs (Php 1:16) against the trickery and wiles of the devil (Eph 6:11).  Know the truth, and the truth will set you free (Jhn 8:32).

I have always believed in God, but not like I should.  I see people with deep faith who unquestionably believe that in death, they will go to heaven.  I want so very badly to believe that, too.  But I need to know what it is that makes people believe in the Lord.  Some would say, “Because I have faith”, but I need more than that.  There has to be something that will take any questions away in my mind… shy of God performing a miracle in front of my eyes.  Any advice would be appreciated!  Thank you

Sincerely,
Believe It When I See It

Dear Believe It When I See It,

There are reasons and evidences that prove that God exists, and it is surprising how few people ever talk about those evidences.  We have an entire category in our archives dedicated to evidences that God exists and the Bible is His Word because we here at AYP are so frequently asked about that topic.

God tells us to come and “reason together with Him” (Isa 1:18).  He also says that evidence of His existence can be plainly seen in the creation that surrounds us (Rom 1:20).  There are entire scientific communities such as Answers In Genesis that are dedicated to the study of the science that proves God’s existence.  We recommend you read books like Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel and Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel.  Darwin’s Black Box by Michael Behe delves into how the study of genetics has proven the existence of a Creator and blown gigantic holes in the arguments of evolution and atheism.  The more you can get a hold of books like these, the more grounded you will become.  Faith is built upon the evidence of an unseen God (Heb 11:1).

Not only is it possible to prove God exists, it is possible to prove that He authored the Bible.  The Bible is the most unique book in the world.  The Bible is scientifically accurate (though written long before modern science), historically accurate (down to the last archeological detail), prophetically accurate (the Bible predicts events down to the smallest detail hundreds of years in advance), and it never contradicts itself (even though the Bible was written over the course of hundreds of years by dozens of different writers).  In a world of rare writings, the Bible stands alone.  For further details, read our post “Who Wrote The Bible?”.

There is no doubt that God exists – the evidence speaks for itself.

How do you convince your spouse that God is real?  He believes one minute, and the next has doubts… which I know is the devil putting the thoughts in his mind.  He says he wants to believe, but then he calls us names and acts like the world.  What can I do to show him you can’t be of this world and of God, too?  He has been going to church and praying to feel God’s presence, but he says he doesn’t feel it, and it is discouraging him; he believes God doesn’t love him, and his heart is hardened like Pharaoh’s.  Are there any words or Scripture you would recommend to me?  Thanks and God bless.

Sincerely,
The Wife Of Mr. Doubtful

Dear The Wife Of Mr. Doubtful,

Your spouse either doesn’t have enough evidence that God exists, or he has a misunderstanding of how God works.  If your husband doesn’t have enough evidence that God exists, we recommend you have him read “Demanding Evidence” and look at some of the reference material from that post.

However, we think it may also be possible that your husband is under the misconception that God is all about emotion.  God doesn’t make us “feel His presence” in any sort of miraculous way.  Certainly, there are times we feel closer to Him than others, but that isn’t miraculous; that is emotional.  God exists whether we feel close to Him or not.  The Bible tells us that God is the same today, yesterday, and forever (Heb 13:8).  Whether or not we feel like God loves us, He says He does (Jhn 3:16), and we’ve got to take His Word for it!  God tells us to worship Him in spirit and in truth (Jhn 4:24).  You might remind your husband (gently) that no matter how he feels about serving God – the truth is that how we live does matter (Jas 2:18-24).  Beyond that, continue to let your influence and uncompromising moral faithfulness affect your spouse (1 Cor 7:12-16).

Hi.  While my faith has recently been shaky, I’m happy to say that I am a whole-hearted believer in God.  My closest friend, however, is far from that which is something I’ve started to question God about.

She is very intelligent, especially in the sciences.  Actually, to be honest, we both are rather gifted in that area which is probably what brought us together.  But the most important thing that separates us is that she doesn’t believe in God, and she has a lot of scientific evidence to back up her opinion.  I have my evidence too, but whenever the subject comes up, she refuses to talk about it, saying she’s concerned she’ll ruin my faith.  How do I reach out to a person like this?  It hurts me so much to see her live out her life with obvious gaps that only God can fill.

Any suggestions on how to direct my friend to the Lord without ruining our friendship?  She has developed something against religion recently, saying that it’s just a tool used through history to give people power and reason to kill.  This really bothers me, but again, the friendship is so important to me, and I don’t want to lose it.  At the same time, her salvation is also at least that important to me.  Thanks, and God bless.

Sincerely,
A Proven Friend

Dear A Proven Friend,

You are obviously dealing with a very intelligent person who has formed her own opinions… but without all the data.  What we normally do when studying with someone like this is to hand them a couple of books and tell them we would like to hear their thoughts after they are finished reading.  That has a two-fold effect:

1. It takes all wrangling over words out of the picture because it isn’t an argument anymore… they are simply reading.
2. It shows you how serious they are about pursuing the subject.  If it is important, they will read and get back to you, but if it isn’t important, the subject will just get dropped.  Either way, you can have a clear conscience that you tried to help.

In this circumstance, we recommend “Evidence That Demands A Verdict” by Josh McDowell (this book should address much of the argument of the Bible being used as a tool to hurt others).  We also recommend “Case For A Creator” by Lee Strobel to deal with the scientific arguments and “Has God Spoken?” by A.O. Schnabel (which addresses the internal evidence of the Bible’s supernatural origins).  That is our recommendation on the topic… less confrontation and more information.

I am struggling with something that I have been struggling with for a while.  I have always been a Fundamentalist Christian (that is the title I gave myself), and I converted from Catholicism.  However, after a few years of being a Protestant, I started to look at Islam.  Last week, I converted.  In the beginning, I never felt better.  But now, I am doubting myself and wondering if I should return to Christianity.  I would convert back, but there are some things that bother me about it that I cannot get over.  Chiefly among them is the fact that the Bible has been changed so much and edited so much over the years.  How can I trust it?  Also, I do not understand the Trinity and why God would need a Son.  I think just worshiping God Himself makes a lot more sense.  So can you help me with these two things?  Thank you very much.

Sincerely,
Stuck Between A Crucifix And A Crescent

Dear Stuck,

The Bible is exactly the same today as it was when it was originally written.  The Dead Sea Scrolls prove that fact.  When the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, they predated any other copy of the Old Testament by hundreds of years… and yet, they matched with the newer texts by over 99.9%.  The differences were only minor (such as spelling) and never affected the meaning of the text.  There are over 16,000 different manuscripts, texts, and archaeological references to Scripture that have been collected throughout the centuries, and they paint a picture of a perfectly (we would say divinely) preserved Bible.  We also recommend you read “Who Wrote The Bible” for further reasons that the Bible is definitively from God.  The Bible you read today is proven to be the same Bible that God originally wrote.  The Q’uran can’t make that claim because it isn’t from God.

And the fact that the Bible is accurate answers your second question – there are three parts to God (The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – Matt 3:16-17).  It may be hard to understand… but it is what it is.  We can’t make God into what we want Him to be… we must accept who He really is.  Even if Islam is a more comfortable religion for your personality – that doesn’t make it right.  We must serve God in truth (Jhn 4:24), even if it isn’t convenient.  If you would like help finding a faithful Bible-believing church in your area to ask further questions, e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

Forgive me for this rant, but I was horrified when I woke up this morning and read the Q&A about whether or not dinosaurs exist.  There is a very big contradiction between AYP saying that we “humans lived in peace with the dinosaurs” and the truth.  Carbon dating does not lie.  An organic item that decays loses carbon atoms at a specific rate, and that is used to determine the age of fossils.  I see no reason why forensic scientists (and we would have to certainly believe something even more outrageous than, let’s say, the sun revolves around the earth than to believe that they are all part of some big conspiracy), and their data based on carbon dating are somehow wrong.  What’s wrong with saying, “I don’t know”?????  Are you telling me that the horrible “museum” they have about us living with dinosaurs is correct?  Disinformation for the sake of proving the Gospel is not proving the Gospel at all!  This would bring me to my question: why is it so wrong for us to say, “I don’t know” when asked questions like this?  When I am in apologetics mode when having to defend the/my faith and someone asks me a question like this, I simply say, “I don’t know; what I do know is what is written in the Bible, and there is nothing there that explains the dinosaurs, so I guess God figured we humans were more important.”  Besides, I thought we were not to use the Bible for science; I thought it was a spiritual message, not a worldly one.

Sincerely,
Dino-Debater

Dear Dino-Debater,

“I don’t know” is a perfectly fine answer, but the Bible does make some statements about animals that can’t be ignored.  God says that all land animals were created on day six (Gen 1:24-31)… that would include dinosaurs.  You are also fair in saying that the Bible isn’t a science book – but it does provide a certain worldview through which we view science.  Atheism is the same way.  Atheism isn’t science, and yet, it colors the way people view scientific data.  A large portion of the scientific establishment views the world through naturalistic lenses – meaning that they assume everything that is here came through natural, random processes.  One paleontologist looks at millions of dead bones piled under dirt, debris, silt, etc. and sees millions of years of decay and evolution.  Another paleontologist sees the same fossils scattered in abundance under the same rock layer and sees a cataclysmic event – most likely Noah’s Flood.  The difference isn’t the data; it is they way they view and interpret the data.  Most of the modern scientific community has chosen to interpret the data through evolutionary lenses.  They assume that:

1. The world is billions of years old because evolution would need billions of years to occur.
2. All rock layers form slowly over time – even though we have great examples of rock forming rapidly.  (Mt. St. Helen’s explosion in 1980 is a great example of cataclysmic rock formation).  This viewpoint is called “uniformitarianism” and is based off the concept that all things are the same throughout time – if something is happening slowly now, then it must always have happened that way.  The Bible specifically says that isn’t the case (2 Pet 3:4-6).
3. That nature is all there is.  Naturalism assumes that there is no supernatural and that there is no supernatural intervention in the events of mankind’s history or the world’s creation.

These assumptions color the data of a large portion of scientists.  It isn’t a conspiracy, but it is interpretation of data based upon their worldview.  The Bible agrees perfectly with scientific data, but it often disagrees with scientists.  Carbon-14 dating (and other radiometric dating methods) is based off of a naturalistic worldview.  We don’t have the space here, but we would highly recommend you read this article, written by a scientist, on the assumptions involved in carbon-14 dating.  Once again, the problem isn’t with the carbon half-life measurements… but with the interpretation of the data.

The Bible dwells in perfect harmony with science, but when scientists assume that there is no God involved in the creation of this planet, they often fail to understand the data they are collecting.

How can I prove to my husband that God is real?  He says there is no proof and that I may as well believe in aliens.  He also says that God is just a story that people made up, just like any other god like Buddha.  We have been arguing about this for a couple of months, and I’m beginning to think that God isn’t real because I cannot prove Him at all… in any kind of way. And praying isn’t helping; I’ve prayed and prayed and – nothing.  What do I do other than pray?

Sincerely,
Not A Debater

Dear Not A Debater,

We recommend that you stop talking to your husband about this subject and hand him a list of books to read.  If he reads them, you will know that he is honestly seeking answers… if he doesn’t, you can know that he just likes to poke fun at religious people (in which case, you shouldn’t waste your time discussing the issue with him anyway!).  We also recommend you take the time to read these books for your own personal growth and comfort.  There are thousands of logical reasons to believe in the existence of God… and the more we learn about the world around us, the more we find Rom 1:20 to be true.  The whole creation screams of His existence.  Here are a list of books and videos that we find worth reading and watching.

1)    Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel

2)    Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel

3)    Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell

4)    Expelled with Ben Stein

5)    The Mysterious Island with Doug Phillips

6)    Answers with Ken Ham

This is hardly an exhaustive list, but it is a good beginning point for your husband’s investigation into spiritual matters.  Hopefully, he has an honest heart and is willing to search out the matter.

Why is it so hard to just have faith?  Why can’t it be absolute instead of questionable?

Sincerely,
Wanna See It

Dear Wanna See It,

Faith, without an element of trust, isn’t faith at all.  If you can see something, then all doubt is removed – faith is a conviction in things not seen (Heb 11:1).  God has provided ample evidence of His existence (Rom 1:20, for further details read “Does God Exist?”) as well as abundant evidence that the Bible is His Word (see “Who Wrote The Bible?”).  The vast preponderance of evidence proves that God exists, but it is up to us to trust the evidence without actually seeing Him.  Faith is the great struggle and battle of the human soul.  Will we choose to believe in a God we cannot see (but can logical prove exists)… or will we choose to believe that there is nothing after death?

I have heard over and over again, the Bible is perfect as it is.  It is what God wants us to have.  How do you explain what happened in the fourth century with the Council of Laodicea deciding what would and would not be included in the Bible or read at church?  All the books that they decided we didn’t need to read… God gave man free will didn’t He?  And it can be used to make bad choices and siding with evil or good choices.  If this council was able to do that for evil, then we are denied the other books of the Bible by HUMAN choice.  I have read half of the Book of Enoch which is absolutely incredible!  I was in absolute awe with this book.  I realize this book is not complete, but the thought of some council deciding what should be in the canon makes me upset.  How was it even decided?  Do I believe that what we have now is good enough to be saved?  ABSOLUTELY!!  But it also makes me think of the words “Seek and ye shall find!”  I would love to hear your feedback on this.  Thank You.

Sincerely,
Enthralled With Enoch

Dear Enthralled With Enoch,

The Council of Laodicea in 336 A.D. did make decisions about what books would be included in the canon of the Bible… but everyone completely ignored what they said, and their edicts have no impact upon the actual Bible that you read today.  If we followed the Council of Laodicea’s decisions, then we wouldn’t have the book of Revelation (which they excluded from their canon), and we would have the epistle of Jeremy and the book of Baruch (two false books that they included).  That particular council obviously did not dictate what books were or were not kept in the Bible’s canon because we don’t use their canon today.

The Bible’s canon was decided well before the Council of Laodicea; it was decided by the christians who lived during the first century and were in the best situation to know which letters were from divinely inspired apostles and prophets.  It is important to remember that even though God does give us freewill, there are certainly things that He doesn’t allow us to change – His Word is one of those immutable things.  It doesn’t make sense that God would spend thousands of years perfectly crafting the Bible only to allow us to pollute it in a couple hundred years.  Jesus says that not one jot or tittle of the Bible will pass away (Matt 5:18).  The Bible has been perfectly crafted and handed down to us with every stroke and letter right where it ought to be.

Were there dinosaurs during Noah’s time?

Sincerely,
Question-o-saurus

Dear Question-o-saurus,

We have every reason to believe that there were dinosaurs during Noah’s time… and that Noah put them on the ark along with the other animals.  Noah was told by God to put two of every kind of animal on the ark (Gen 6:19-20).  This would have included the dinosaurs.  Noah probably put young, smaller dinosaurs on the ark considering they would fit better, and they would be better prepared to live long lives and repopulate after the Flood.

Another reason that it is likely dinosaurs lived during Noah’s time is all the dinosaur fossils we find.  Most of the fossils that are found today were created by the cataclysmic flood of Noah’s day.  Ever wonder why there are so many fossils?  Millions of dead creatures were covered in dirt, water, and lava when the Flood happened.

And last, but not least, dinosaurs are spoken of in the book of Job – which was written after the flood of Noah’s day.  Job talks about two creatures: the Behemoth (Job 40:15-24) and Leviathan (Job 41:1-34) that both match the description of dinosaurs perfectly.  Since Job lived after the Flood, it means that dinosaurs were still alive after Noah’s time.

I have been searching for God and trying to convince myself of Jesus being my savior, but I am still on my journey, I suppose.  I’m concerned that I’ll die and be unforgiven before I can finally convince myself of God.  Perhaps this is something only God can help me with?  I’m a true skeptic, but I have been finding increasing evidence of there being a divine creator, God.  Should I pray to Him that He reveals Himself to me?  I guess my real question is… will He forgive me for not believing in Him when I am not convinced of Him?  I haven’t read the Bible yet, and I’ve been increasingly convinced; should I read the Bible, all of it?  What if I don’t read it before I die?  It does sort of feel like I am being pursued by God to believe in Him… I’m just not yet convinced…

(I used to be christian; then I rejected Christ because I realized I was ‘believing’ without actually believing.  I couldn’t live as a hypocrite to myself, still can’t today).

Like Plato talked about, I don’t wish to be a blind man just happening to take the right path.  That is not knowledge.  If knowledge only truly comes from Him, when will He bless me with it, so I may know Him?  It’s so backwards to me… doesn’t the Bible say that He will only reveal Himself to me after I put faith in Him before I can convince myself of Him?  Sometimes I want to believe; it’s just the doubt… like I said though, maybe it’s just the journey I have to take without any help.  Would God put me on one of those journeys?  Will I be lost as long as I strive to be an intelligent and rational human being that bases belief on incidences in my life I’m convinced of?

There have been times where God has answered me… I’d say “God, if you do this for me, I will never doubt you again.”  It would then happen, but I ended up brushing it off as coincidence afterward… this was when I was really young though.

Doubt has to be the hardest problem to deal with… maybe I just want reassurance that I’ll find Him; it’s only a matter of time, and if I don’t find Him, He’ll be understanding as long as I was given a reasonable amount of time in my life and enough evidence to convince me that He is there.  I don’t like dogma…

I apologize for this being so long; I guess I just needed to get it out… I also want some guidance I guess.  Is there any Bible verses online that could help deal with this?  Thanks for reading.

Sincerely,
Unconvinced

Dear Unconvinced,

No, the Bible does not say that God will only reveal Himself to you once you have faith.  God reveals Himself to all of mankind through creation (Rom 1:20) and through His Word (Rom 10:17).  Many religious groups that profess to be christian teach the circular logic that you can’t know about God until you trust in Him – that is wrong.  We have an entire section of AskYourPreacher.org that is dedicated to EVIDENCES.  We here at AYP became christians because of the evidence.  These evidences are found in creation, the proven fulfilled prophecies of the Bible, the uniqueness of the Scriptures, and the proven accuracy of the Bible (we recommend you read “God Is Alive” and “Who Wrote The Bible”).

God will not forgive you for not believing in Him because He has made so much evidence available to prove His existence.  From mountains to molecules, this world screams of a Creator.  Seek the truth, and the truth will set you free (Jhn 8:32).  We too once doubted God’s existence, but after reading books like Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell, A Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel, and Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel (too name a few) – it became very clear that there is real proof that God truly is alive.  After you’ve taken some time to read some of these articles and material, write us back at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org, and we would be happy to show you what it takes to become a christian and find a faithful church to be a part of.  The truth is out there for those (like yourself) seeking it (Matt 7:7).

Why is it that we are to believe the earth started 6,000 years ago?  It makes no sense.  I think that God created the universe six billion years ago, and at every stage, He has built and destroyed along the way.  The dinosaurs, for example, why couldn’t He have gotten bored with them, killed them off, and one million years later came back and created something new on the earth?

My point is that Satan was already Satan before Adam and Eve, but before that he was an angel and had dominion over the earth.  Okay, well when?  When it was without shape or form?  Makes no sense.  I think God has created destroyed and recreated this earth many times over, and for the life of me, my very soul, I can not be blind to how old this earth is.  My faith is not in question; my question is with the church because I think God has done this since He created the universe.

I do not want to limit His power because I’m told by a human the earth is six–thousand-years-old, and I also think these half-human ape-looking bones that geologists find could be His first shot at making mankind, and things did not go so great, and He wiped them out.  I don’t believe in earth evolution, but perhaps a God evolution where it took Him a while to create living, breathing, thinking beings… and I do not limit His power in thinking this.  This has to come from God Himself.  I think my question is for Him.

Sincerely,
REALLY Old Earth

Dear REALLY Old Earth,

There is one major problem with what you’ve asserted – it is the opposite of what the Bible says, and God wrote the Bible.  The idea of evolution, even theistic evolution, is contrary to Scriptures.  You listed a smorgasborg of contradictory theories: multiple destructions of the earth, ape-men existing before Adam & Eve, and God “learning” how to create.  It would take more faith than we here at AYP have to believe in the ideas that you are trying to have us swallow.  The Bible answer is much simpler.  God created the universe in six days (Gen 1:1-31).  When God created the universe, He created everything good – the first time (Gen 1:31).  If the theory of evolution is true, then God didn’t create everything good; He created it flawed, warped, and dysfunctional.

The Bible says that it is mankind that introduced the curse of sin into the world (Gen 3:17).  The world was perfect, without flaw and without defect.  Animals lived in harmony with man, and there was no bloodshed.  If evolution is true, not only did God not create a good world, Adam & Eve never existed!  Adam & Eve don’t exist in evolutionary models; they are replaced by a slow progression from amoeba to man.  We cannot accept both the Bible account of creation and the Darwinian theory of evolution – they are not compatible with each other.  Theistic evolution is an attempt to reconcile evolution with the Bible, but in truth, the two cannot be reconciled.  Science doesn’t disagree with the Bible – the two are in perfect harmony (visit AnswersinGenesis.org to see some of the impressive things scientists are finding out that prove the Bible to be true).  God says that the creation speaks of His existence (Rom 1:18-20).  It isn’t a battle between science and the Bible; it is a battle between evolutionists and preachers.  We here at AYP accept the Bible account of creation, and we prayerfully suggest you do the same.

Please explain how there are different races in the world when we are all supposed to be born from Adam and Eve?

Sincerely,
Ethnic Diversity

Dear Ethnic Diversity,

We all came from Adam and Eve (Gen 3:20).  Eventually, mankind was scattered across the whole earth after the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:9).  Different races were created as these scattered groups became more isolated.  This is very similar to how you see parents and children looking alike – they share noticeable physical traits because they are closely related.  The groups that were scattered from the Tower of Babel were isolated by their language differences, and therefore only married amongst their specific language group.  This isolated intermarrying created distinct physical characteristics that differentiated one group from another (i.e. skin color, eye shape, face shape, hair color).  The different races of the world are nothing more than large family groups created after the Tower of Babel.

I read Richard Dawkins book The God Delusion, and having doubts, on my own made the switch from christian to agnostic.  I had been accepted into Christ during my youth and later in my life came closer to Christ, enforcing my beliefs.

After reading this book, as I said, I had made the switch and confessed to both my parents and a few friends that I didn’t believe in the Bible.

My parents, as I would have guessed, cannot stand the fact that I denied Christ.

Now, I am having doubts, feeling that I just lost my soul and that I am going to hell for the mistake I made.  (I made this choice before, once or twice, but felt God forgave me and that He was still drawing me closer.)

Now I am unsure what to believe – people or the Bible – and what my faith is.  I want to come back to being a christian, but I am afraid there is no use as Jesus said, “Whoever denies Me, I will deny to My Father.”

Is there really no hope?  Am I lost for good?

Sincerely,
Soul In Despair

Dear Soul In Despair,

Yes, there is hope, and no, you aren’t lost for good.  Your question has two parts to it.

1. Can I be forgiven of denying God?
2. Does God really exist, or is Richard Dawkins right?

You can be forgiven of denying God.  Paul was forgiven of denying Jesus (1 Cor 15:9-10).  Peter denied Jesus (Matt 26:75), and he was forgiven.  Now is the time to repent and begin anew.  We recommend you read “What Must I Do To Be Saved” to learn about what it takes to obey God.

The second part of your question has a little more depth to it.  The short answer is, yes, God does exist.  We have several articles that you might want to read.  Read through our articles in the EVIDENCES category of the archive; almost all of them pertain to your situation and will reinforce your belief in God.  We also recommend that you rent or buy “Expelled” by Ben Stein.  That movie has an interview with Richard Dawkins where Dawkins admits that he has no idea where life came from.  He even guesses it might be aliens that put life on this planet!  That film does a good job of exposing the bias and prejudices that men like Richard Dawkins have.  And last, but not certainly not least, we highly recommend that you go to our congregation’s main website (www.mvchurchofchrist.org) and listen to a series of lessons preached by a geologist, Dr. Don Patton, on Science and Creation.  Every one of those sources should help to reinforce that evolutionists don’t have the answers; God’s Word does.

In  1 John 5:7-8 … what does it mean with water and blood?  Is the water the baptism?  And the blood the sacrifice that Jesus Christ did?

Sincerely,
Elemental Interest

Dear Elemental Interest,

In chapter five, John is addressing the issue of Jesus’ deity.  Those who overcome the world are those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God (1 Jn 5:6).  John says that three things bore witness to Jesus’ deity.

1. He came by water (1 Jn 5:6).  Jesus was baptized, and afterwards, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove (Matt 3:16).  John the Baptist used this baptism as proof of Jesus’ divinity (Jhn 1:31-34).
2. He came by blood (1 Jn 5:6).  Jesus died a death like no other before or after Him.  It was a horrific and painful death, and yet, He did not cry out (Isa 53:7).  As He died, the sun turned to darkness (Matt 27:45), and the temple veil was torn in half (Mk 15:38).  After a bloody death like that, even the Roman centurion exclaimed Jesus’ deity (Mk 15:39).
3. Lastly, the Spirit bore witness (1 Jn 5:7).  The Holy Spirit brought the truth about the Son of God to all mankind.  The Bible is a record of Jesus.

By those three things, it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is God’s Son.

I have been a Christian all my life and just recently (the past six months) I have been questioning God’s existence.  I became exceedingly depressed since now my life has no direction, and I went to whom I thought I could trust (youth pastor and my family).  Both of which excused it as a “phase” – it doesn’t seem like it is now that I’ve been feeling empty for so long.  When everyone else ignored me, I began to read the Bible, a chapter a day.  Nothing helped my faith.  I’ve tried praying to God, asking Him to help me believe in Him since I just don’t have the faith to do this on my own.  Like every other human, I make mistakes all the time.  My question is this: what do I do to find God or help Him find me?  Is there anything that can help my faith?

Sincerely,
Theistically Challenged

Dear Theistically Challenged,

Your question is one of the fundamental questions of life: “Does God Exist?”  It is important that everyone asks this question at some point in their life, and there is no shame in you doing it now.  We disagree with those you have talked to previously; this question is not a phase; it is a basic question that is worthy of an honest answer.

We will try to give you some key evidence that there is a Creator, but we will also point you in the direction of some resources that may help you in your quest for answers.  So here we go:

1. Look at a watch and ask yourself the question, “Is this designed?”  Of course, a watch is designed – just like a house, a car, a camera, and other modern technological marvels.  You know they are designed because they are complex, they have purpose, and they are organized in a meaningful way.  Now look at your eye, your hand, even a single follicle of hair.  Are they designed?  They are infinitely more complex than a watch.  They have very distinct purposes, and they are all organized in a meaningful way.  You were designed by God; you have a Designer.  If you believe in watchmakers, you can believe in God.
2. The most basic laws of science tell us that nothing ever comes from nothing (1^st Law of Thermodynamics).  Einstein made it clear that nothing can be destroyed; energy can turn into matter and matter into energy, but everything that is here has always been here.  That begs the question, “Where did it all come from?”  Scientists all agree that everything we see had to come from somewhere, but the only logical answer to that question is ‘God’.  God, a supernatural deity not bound by the laws of physics, created all that we see and enjoy in this universe.
3. God’s Word is also proof that God is.  The Bible is a book that only God could write.  It has prophecies that are fulfilled hundreds of years after they are spoken.  It has remained unchanged by tradition or persecution for thousands of years.  It makes statements about how our world works hundreds of years before scientists realized the concepts for themselves.  The Bible is a book composed by over forty different writers over thousands of years, and yet it has no contradictions within it.  The Bible could not have been written by anyone but Deity.

These are just three reasons to believe in God; there are many more that space prevents us from mentioning.  We also recommend you go back and read through the posts in our EVIDENCES category.  You will see that you aren’t the only one who has questions about God, and you will also see that there are answers to every question.  We also recommend reading Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel and Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel. Both books are well worth the read.