More Serious Issues & Solutions

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We rightfully, but respectfully object to statements that we think untrue. Honest thinking people rightfully want good factual answers to their doubts whether Christian faith or other faiths. Trouble is many persons with doubts never take the trouble to find out the answers. I’ll present the objection in bold print and in the paragraph to follow respond in each case. You might like to download and print all my articles for individual or class discussions.

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                                                   Biblical Christianity Is Irrelevant.
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 Its pie in the sky by and by and not concerned with my everyday life needs.

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Its true Bible teaching doesn’t and can’t tell us who to marry or what work to pursue. But it’s of utmost relevance on three levels. Lifestyle---it warns us of destructive behaviors such as hatred, drunkenness, murders and encourages spiritual fruit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness (Gal. 6:19-25). Eternal abode—it gives us a choice between Heaven with a loving God, or Hell alone in darkness and torment (Matt. 5:28). Worldview---only the risen God-man confirms life after death, God’s reality, a rational world, human dignity, rights, freedom, ethics, justice, love, and purposeful living. No other worldview can match biblical Christianity in providing our most basic human needs. Other worldviews merely are limited subjective human opinions devoid of proof.

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                                                    The Bible Is An Immoral Book.

Bible characters did some really terrible shameful things. Moses, Israel's leader, and David a may after God's heart, were murders. Some Bible characters lie, rape, murder, even eat people.
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Yes, biblical characters did shameful sinful things. God had them recorded, but did not approve of their sinful acts. God used them despite their sins, just as God uses us today. Nobody is without sin and we must be fair to judge each case within its historical context (Rom. 3:23; 1 John 1:8, 10). Moreover, apart from the perfect God of the Bible, we have no basis to call any act right or wrong--we have only subjective human preferences. The Bible’s God is our perfect Creator, Life-giver, Lawgiver, Owner and Judge. Apart from the Bible’s God, we’re only animals without ethical standards and accountability who return to dirt. The fact that the Bible mentions the sins of its best characters whereas other books don’t shows its integrity and trustworthiness. Trust in Jesus can set us on a higher plane of more noble desires but even then we're only perfect in Him.

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                                                        Christians Are Against Sex.
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But sex is a natural, normal bodily function that is to be satisfied like hunger and thirst.

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God created us sexual beings and told us to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:27). God is not against sex, only against its abuse. Common sense shows a man and women’s bodies are designed for each other, for the procreation of children and family life. Same sex marriages rebel against God’s design for marriage, and a husband with many wives cheat both the wives’ needs and the men who have no wives. Both are not God’s will as Jesus confirmed with the one flesh relationship (Matt. 19:4-6).

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                                                  I Try Sincerely to Keep the Golden Rule.
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So I’m a good person and should go to Heaven.

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You are assuming entrance to Heaven depends upon your being a good person and performing good deeds. How do you know what's “good” in God’s eyes? How do you know how much “good” God requires, or when you have done enough “good”? One percent cancer can contaminate the whole body and 1% sin can corrupt a perfect Heaven. A perfect God and a perfect heaven exclude all sin. Heaven is a gift of God, not earned by our good deeds. God’s way is for a person to humbly admit his or her sin and need of forgiveness and then trust the Savior of sinners (Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 4:12; Titus 3:5; Romans 11:6).

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                                          I Tried Christianity Once and It Didn’t Work.

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True faith in Christ works. But it’s not like an emotional high like being on drugs. It’s not getting everything you want. It’s not performing a ritual act, or just  joining a church.  True conversion occurs when God’s Holy Spirit enters us--we become a new person with new holy desires (2 Cor. 5:17). New spiritual life is evidenced in a new outlook on life, a new sensitivity to right and wrong, a new desire to learn God’s Word, a new concern to do God’s will, a new love for God, and a new hope to share this wonderful new experience with other persons. We're not perfect and must grow in right living. And yes it's a battle with the world, flesh, and the devil until we'll finally be with God in Heaven. In trusting the Savior, we are forgiven, but good works are not automatic. We grow by focusing on the things of God in daily submission. Dwelling on our faults and failures only drag us down.

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                                                   Science Has Disproved the Bible.
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Science is neutral and objective facts, but religion is just faith.

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Scientists can be as bias and anyone else and science theories continually change. Evolution is based upon a dogmatic naturalistic philosophy that ignores the facts of science that point to creation.  Christianity gave the conceptual framework for experimental science to flourish. Pantheistic and animistic religions regarded nature as indwelt by spirits to sacred to disturb. But Christianity said a rational and loving God created nature for us to explore and discover. The scientific method is based upon assumptions the Christian worldview guarantee, but not provable by science--laws of logic, orderliness of nature, reliability of our senses, and honest accurate data. Modern science could not have arisen apart from these imperatives of the Christian worldview. When science and Scripture are properly understood, God’s world and God’s Word will be in harmony.

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                                                  All Religions Are Essentially the Same.
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They all are different roads to God, all teach ethical principles, and just call God by different names.

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This shows both ignorance and insult toward world religions. World religions differ radically in their teachings about God, man, salvation and the afterlife. To imply their differences are not important is an insult to them. From a Christian perspective, three factors stand out. First, their views radically conflict which means only one if any must be correct. Second, only Christianity gives visible, objective, empirical evidence its God and teachings are true. Jesus alone gave evidence of being God come into our world shown by fulfilling ancient prophecies, performing miracles, and rising from the dead. No subjective mystic’s claim to universal truth can match that. Third, some religions practice cannibalism and human sacrifice. Is that just as good as Christ’s teaching to love your neighbor as yourself?

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                                                    The Church Is Full of Hypocrites.
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Church people don’t live what they profess.

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Have you given this an honest appraisal of the facts? First, every church member or person professing Christ may not be a  Christian. Second, nobody including true Christians can live a perfect life as the Bible says (1 John 1:8, 10). Yes, we all have moral failures in our fight against the world system of evil, our sinful nature, and Satan and his demons. Christians are not exempt from failure and must grow in godliness. But millions testify they’re better persons after trusting Christ than before. Third, what about all the non church hypocrites in bars, discos, businesses, politics, everywhere? Are you using church hypocrites as an excuse not to trust the Savior and go to Hell? Are you living up to all you think is right?

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                                                    Christianity Is Not Logical or Rational.  

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Persons who say this may mean it does not make sense to them or from their perspective. First, they may think they can’t be wrong, misunderstand, be illogical or be exposed to false teachings. Second, limited human knowledge is a mere speck in the circle of universal knowledge. Third, as C.S. Lewis pointed out, persons who assume the universe popped into existence by chance can’t be sure our thought is rational.  Finally, Christians can misunderstand or incorrectly explain biblical teachings as well. The objection requires we first understand what is true Bible Christianity taught by Jesus and his apostles.

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                                                       You Can’t Take the Bible Literally.

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Why? Who says so? Wouldn’t God say what He intends us to understand? If the Bible is God’s message to us about Himself, His plan of salvation, and how He wants us to live, wouldn’t He speak in plain language we could understand? Would God make us guess at what the Bible means if He loves us and wants to communicate with us? Further, figures of speech are normal in every language. If God made us with powers of communication, why couldn’t He make us to communicate with Him? What reason could God have for not speaking in understandable speech? Could this objection be only an unwarranted assumption that there's no real God who can act in our real world? The Lord spoke with His people and was understood throughout the Bible..

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                                                               I  Don’t Believe the Bible.
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I’ve heard it’s full of myths, fairy tales, and things impossible to believe.

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Hearsay is not always the best reason for believing things. Why not read it for yourself  before assuming a hostile dogmatic stance. It’s continually the world’s bestseller, the most influential book. Fairness requires we find out for ourselves before we condemn it on other people’s say so.
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Start with the Gospel of John that tells about the life of Christ. Many find the natural everyday events speak to them in a way that seems so true to human nature. There's no weird, fantastic things like statues moving, people turned into birds, or crosses walking. Such things as found in Greek literature and the apocryphal gospels are myths. But that's not true with Jesus who both claims and shows he is Lord of nature.
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Unless we have exhaustive knowledge, we can't say Jesus can’t be our God. Secular history and archaeology give abundant evidence Jesus is a real  man, even the God-man who walked among us. He showed the greatest love dying upon the cross to pay for our sin, and rising from the dead That  proves he is our God who offers us an eternal love-trust relationship.  Millions have taken the Bible statements true and found fulling life though Him. But that means we put God's will first, not what our sinful desires demand. Jesus said, "I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). Say, I trust You now Jesus as my Savior and Lord to live for You forever. Share your new faith with friends and loved ones.

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See When Critics Ask by Norman Geisler & Thomas Howe. Defending Your Faith by Dan Story. Tough Questions About God, Faith, and Life, by Charles Colson. 

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