Is suicide sinful?
Question: I was wondering what philosophical/theological argument could be mustered in favour of the proposition that people should not commit suicide. A bit of background to the question might help. From a secularist perspective, surely we are ultimately going to die anyway. Our lives will necessarily end with a certain degree of pain and suffering […]
What is your explanation for the apparent contradiction between Gen 1:11-13 and Gen 1:26-31 with Gen 2:5-7 ?
Question: What is your explanation for the apparent contradiction between Gen 1:11-13 and Gen 1:26-31 with Gen 2:5-7 ? Answer: I can see why one might ask this perfectly reasonable question. I believe that Genesis 2 is the story, not of creation as a whole, but of the creation of “man.” It is not a […]
What is your explanation for the translation "dome" in Genesis 1:6. Doesn't this show a Hebrew false concept that the heavens are like a dome?
Question: What is your explanation for the translation “dome” in Genesis 1:6. Doesn’t this show a Hebrew false concept that the heavens are like a dome? Editor’s note: this quote is from the New Revised Standard Version Answer: I looked up the Hebrew word in a Hebrew dictionary. They do not use the word dome […]
What is your explanation for the translation "dome" in Genesis 1:6. Doesn't this show a Hebrew false concept that the heavens are like a dome?
Question: What is your explanation for the translation “dome” in Genesis 1:6. Doesn’t this show a Hebrew false concept that the heavens are like a dome? Editor’s note: this quote is from the New Revised Standard Version Answer: I looked up the Hebrew word in a Hebrew dictionary. They do not use the word dome […]
How do you interpret "Near Death Experiences," with their commonality as well as the fact that people see a version of their own religion's view of heaven?
Question: What do you say about near death experiences? I’ve heard of certain people having experiences where they are supposedly almost dead and see heavenly places. I’ve even heard some say that people of different religions have NDE’s where they see their own religion’s heaven. It makes me a bit confused, but I think it […]
Why do you support intelligent design and what problem do you have with evolution? What problem do you have with "The God Delusion" by Dawkins?
Question: Sorry if this question is always asked or if you have already answered it. I noticed in one of your articles you said that evolution is not absolute fact and you commend brave people such as Behe for trying to push the idea of Intelligent Design. I myself am a Christian, but most Christians […]
Genocide and the Old Testament
Genocide and the Old Testament There is one question which comes up repeatedly, both as I travel and teach for Christian groups and at the web site. The question takes different forms, but in general it goes something like this: If God is such a loving God, how can we explain the fact that […]
How were the gifts of the Holy Spirit given? Does that still happen today?
Question: I want to know about the Holy Spirit and how it did so many miracles in the 1st century through the apostles and other disciples like speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing by laying on of hands etc. Does that stil happen today, if it does is it by God’s Spirit? Answer: Here is what […]
What do you think about Barbara Thiering's book Jesus is the man? Is there any basis for truth in her work?
Question: In 1996/97 I read Barbara Thiering’s Jesus the Man – I have been re-reading it now as someone who thinks they understand and have read more of the Bible – specifically the New Testament in the 10 years since. However, as a “lay man” , one with not a lot of knowledge on research […]
What do you say to those who claim that there is no such thing as moral truth or absolute standard of truth?
Question: The main thing that bothers me is the view of amorality. What do you say to someone that doesn’t believe (sometimes due to apparent “lack of evidence”) in such things as “good” and “evil” hanging around out there anywhere? Sure they will admit that things happen that are both helpful and detrimental to a […]
Is it true that the idea that the miracles and resurrection of Jesus were only claimed to be myths long after the time of Jesus? Is this not good evidence that Jesus worked miracles?
Question: If the miracle stories and the resurection are myths started years after the crucifiction wouldn’t there be alternate stories of Christ that would be written down? I don’t know of any stories of a non-miracle working Jesus so isn’t this very strong evidence that the stories are not myths? Why don’t I ever here […]
Were Adam and Eve neanderthals or modern humans?
Question: Were Adam and Eve neanderthals or modern humans? Answer: Adam and Eve were humans. Whether or not neanderthal are humans is debatable, but Adam and Eve were humans. Anthropoligists have failed to prove Neanderthals were not humans. They had different physical features, but we have every reason to believe they were humans and no […]
The Miracles Jesus Did Not Do
The Miracles Jesus Did Not Do Note: This is a chapter in an upcoming book by David Eastman and John Oakes on Miracles, to be published by Illumination Publishers, International in late 2007 or early 2008. It is a truism that you learn almost as much about a person by what they do […]
The Bible never mentions Muhammad, but in the Qur'an it talks about Jesus. Why is that?
Question: The Bible never mentions Muhammad, but in the Qur’an it talks about Jesus. Why is that? Answer: The answer is quite simple. Muhammad began his ministry in the year AD 612. This was over five hundred years after the New Testament was completed. There is no reason to expect the Bible to talk about […]
Do you believe life once existed on Mars and why do you reach this conclusion?
Question: I heard you say at an event that life used to exist on Mars. I thought life only existed on earth. I am reading a book about how unique the earth is and it has been faith building – so that is why I was curious about the comment. Why do you think life […]
Can the human arguments about mitochondrial Eve and y-chromosome Adam be extended to the animal world to test the reality of the flood of Noah?
Question; I have been following the work of Hugh Ross and his team on reasonstobelieve.org. A claim made on that web-site is that we can show using y-chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA that the population of mankind can be traced back to a mitochondrial Eve and a y-chromosomal Adam. Furthermore the dating of Eve at an […]
How does one conclude that morality exists and is given directly by the Christian God?
QUESTION: How does one conclude that morality exists and is given directly by the Christian God? I am a Christian, and have been raised in a very conservative Christian home, but I’m afraid I’m growing weaker all the time. It’s getting especially harder for me to understand the whole morality issue. It seems that many […]
Did God took rest on the seventh day of creation, if so then he can get tired & weary. Also who does the work during the rest time?
Question: Did God took rest on the seventh day of creation, if so then he can get tired & weary. Also who does the work during the rest time? I want to know the correct interpretation. Answer: In answer to your question, God does not get tired, Isaiah 41:28 gives us some insight into this, […]
I heard in a recent lesson you gave that even in quantum theory and relativity God has left his finger prints. Can you elaborate on this?
Question: I heard in a recent lesson you gave that even in quantum theory and relativity God has left his finger prints. Can you elaborate and illuminate on this? Answer: Quantum mechanics tells us that the simple mechanical view of the universe of Newton and LaPlace is not correct. Quantum mechanics tells us that light […]
Richard Dawkins and Derren Brown deny God and the truth of Christianity, and say the stories of Jesus come from more than 200 years after his death. What is your response?
Question: I am a Christian in the UK. There are a couple of best selling books in the UK at the moment that deny the existence of God and the truth of Christianity. On is “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins and the other is “Tricks of the Mind” by Derren Brown. The latter is […]
Will only 144,000 be in heaven with God, and will others reign in an earthly kingdom with Jesus?
Question: It is taught that by some that only 144,000 people will receive eternal life in heaven with Jesus Christ as co-rulers over the earth. Witnesses believe that in the war of Armageddon, which they believe to be imminent, the wicked will be destroyed. The survivors of this event, along with individuals deemed worthy of […]
What about the Gospel of Barnabas? Who wrote it and why? Was he an apostle?
Question: What’s this about a Gospel of Barnabas? Who wrote it and why? Was Barnabas an apostle or not? Answer: The New Testament speaks of a 1st Century Jew named Joseph, a Levitical priest from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, who became a follower of Jesus. He “was a good man, and full of the […]
What about the Gospel of Barnabus? Who write it? For what? Was Barnabus is apostle or not?
Question: What about the Gospel of Barnabus? Who write it? For what? Was Barnabus is apostle or not? Answer: My answer will depend on whether you mean the Epistle of Barnabas or the Gospel of Barnabas. Of the two, the more well known is the Epistle (letter) of Barnabas. The question of whether Barnabas was […]
The Ultimate Miracle: The Resurrection of Jesus? John Oakes, PhD
The Ultimate Miracle [Note: this is a chapter on the resurrection taken from the book Reasons for Belief by John M. Oakes Illumination Publishers, International www.ipibooks.com] In the previous chapter we looked at the miracles that Jesus performed, examined evidence that Jesus really did work these miracles and considered what they imply about the miracle-worker […]
The Resurrection of Jesus: An Outline
The Resurrection of Jesus An Outline Q: Is it logical to believe that Jesus was raided from the dead? Q: Why is this important? 1. If Jesus was in fact raised from the dead, this validates all his claims. If not?.. 2. It explains a lot The changed […]
The Miracles of Jesus: Knowing the Mind and the Heart (and Knowing the Future)
? Knowing the Mind and the Heart (and Knowing the Future) [Note: this article is a chapter from a book by John Oakes and Dave Eastman on miracles to be published in 2007] The miracles we have looked at thus far involve Jesus violating physical laws of nature. We will now consider a […]
Old Testament Miracles
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The Problem of Pain and Suffering Part III
Note: This is part three in a series on the problem of pain and suffering. The others are available at the site. Part III Suffering: A Human Problem. Human pain and suffering raises an apologetic problem. How can the idea of a loving and powerful God be consistent with the existence of evil, […]
What do you think about Johathin Sarfati's explanation of the Big Bang in his book "Refuting Compromise?" Do you agree that the Big Bang is no more science than Intelligent Design, given that it cannot be proven by experiement?
Question: I have read your material on evolution being “scientific” and your view of the Big Bang. Would you object to the Big Bang being taught in school as it is not “science” any more than intelligent design? One cannot do an experiment to prove or disprove Big Bang. Have you read the book by […]
Is Anyone at Home?? (a college paper submitted for ENGL 1A by Johnas Changsek
Note from John Oakes: This is a college lever paper submitted by a user of the web site. It is not at an extremely scholarly level, but I am proud of Johans for doing an excellent job of defending theism in view of scientific knowledge. I hope you enjoy his paper. J. O. […]
Can you help with history of city of Corinth and at present what's their condition?
Question: Can you help with history of city of Corinth and at present what’s their condition? Answer: Corinth is on the isthmus separating the Peloponesian peninsula from mainland Greece. For this reason, it was in important and wealthy city from ancient times. During the 500’s BC it played a role as the or one of […]
Introduction to World Religions: Judaism
Introduction to World Religions: Judaism. Click on the link below for a Power Point presentation by R. D. Baker (Phoenix, AZ) and Ryan Cartwright (Edmonton, Alberta). This is a general introduction to a course on world religions, followed by the body of the class, which is on the background of Judaism. Power Point: Judaism 2.29 […]
The Problem of Pain and Suffering:? Part II
The Problem of Pain and Suffering Part II John Oakes 11/1/06 In the previous essay I proposed a two-pronged strategy to considering the problem of pain and suffering. The existence of evil and of suffering is both an apologetic problem and a human problem. In the first part, I tackled the apologetic issue. […]
The Problem of Pain and Suffering, Part I
The Problem of Pain and Suffering John Oakes 9/27/06 This past summer I traveled to the UKon a teaching trip. I was asked to speak on the problem of pain and suffering. When I received the request my first thought was to wonder why they thought I might be qualified to speak on this […]
Isn't the teaching of the Catholic Church about Mary just a "Christian" version of mother goddess worship?
Comment: The oldest representations of gods are female & one of the oldest is the Venus of Willendorf, dating from the Upper Palaeolithic about 30,000 years ago. Coming closer to the present is the Mother Goddess of Skorba in Malta which dates from the Neolithic about 6,500 years ago. Isis, the Mother Goddess of the […]
An islamic web site claims that the Qur'an gives an accurate value for the speed of light. What do you think about this?
Question: I was at an islamic apologetic web site which claimed that the Qur’an has a correct value for the speed of light, which supposedly proves the Qur’an is inspired by Allah. Below is the quote. 299,792.458 km/sis the speed of light in vacuum. However, according to Einstein’s theory of General Relativity, the speed of […]
Isn't it odd that God created such a huge universe which existed for 13 billion years if we exist for such a small time and in such a small place? What was God doing the other 13 billion years?
Question: If the age of the Cosmos is regarded as 24 hours, Homo Sapiens did not appear until the last second and Jesusdid not appear until almost the last 1/100th of a second. Is it impertinent to enquire what God was doing for the rest of the 13,000,000,000 years ? Was he pondering the future […]
A professor of mine claimed that astrology came from Judaism and that it was part of later Judaism and early Christianity. Is this possible?
Question: I realize that astrology and the Zodiac today is something that God would not condone, but I heard some argue that the Zodiac was originally a biblical concept that was corrupted during the time of the tower of Babel. Is there any proof supporting this claim? ;Also, in my Rome and Jerusalem class, we […]
Christian Science and Scientology: A Power Point
Christian Science and Scientology. What do they have in common? Not science!!! Click below to view or download the Power Point Presentation Power Point: Christian Science and Scientology 300.00 Kb
Eastern Religions and the New Age Movement: A Power Point
Power Point: Eastern Religion and New Age
I have been developing a theory…. A questioner presents his own philosophy of how religion should work. What is wrong with my idea?
Question: I have been developing a theory or a concept for living according to God’s plan for mankind. Please tell me where there are flaws in my concept. God created man and all other creation according to his will and pleasure. He differentiated man to be in his own “image,” which I think should read […]
What caused the break-up of Christianity into so many groups? Since the Catholic Church can trace itself to the beginning, doesn't that make them the true church?
Question: I wonder why the break-up in the churchof God. I mean Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, International Church of Christ etc…. Sometimes I imagine why most group claim to be the only Christians among the Christian circle. What caused the break up? How did it happen? What could be done? The Catholic Church has been existing […]
Do you think there were significant scientific changes that occurred with the fall of man? Is it possible it was not until this point that the spiritual and physical realms became separate?
Question: Do you think there were significant scientific changes that occurred with the fall of man? Is it possible it was not until this point that the spiritual and physical realms became separate, or was it just that Adam and Eve didn?t realize it until then? Also, I remember from chemistry talking about the theory […]
The Jewish High Holy Days: Their meaning and Foreshadows
? The Jewish High Holy Days Phillip Lester 9/23/06 Jews all over the world are about to enter a three week period called the High Holy Days. They involve special Jewish celebrations for the fall season. Although they are found in the Scriptures, their position in the Jewish calendar is often overlooked by disciples. They […]
Is speaking in tounges real? Should it be done in church?
Question: Is there such thing as speaking in tongues? In the Bible Paul said he had that spiritual gift and it was his greatest gift (1CO 14), and then I read a study Bible and it said that as Christians we could have the gift but it is not of help to others but just […]
Cosmic Origins?? (Matt Longhorn)
Cosmic Origins The significance of the Big Bang for Theism Matt Longhorn, Reading, UK (philosophical_1@hotmail.com) September 21, 2006 The story of our understanding of the universe has been charted well in the agnostic author Robert Jastrow?s – God and the Astronomers. Jastrow traces the Big Bang theory back to mathematical calculations by […]
What is Buddhism? How is Buddha different from Christ?
Question:What is Buddism & its childhood & what is the difference between him & Christ? I’m a Christian ; How can I speak with atheists & what is the main point to persuade them to be a Christian? Answer: Here is a little information on Buddhism, its founder and its teachings: Founder: Gautama Buddha or […]
Isn't belief in the Anthropic Principle/in an intelligent designer intellectually dishonest? Can it be used to predict scientific laws?
Question/Comment: I just finished reading an article you wrote regarding the ‘evidence’ for an intelligent designer and I found it so intellectually dishonest that it inspired me to write you. I hope that someday you come to see the ‘folly’ that comes with accepting ideas such as the ‘anthropic principle.’ Someday I think you will […]
Can we have the communion on any other day than Sunday? What does the insciption, INRI on the cross mean?
Question: Can we have the communion on any other day than Sunday? What does the insciption, INRI on the cross mean? Answer: Let me answer the easy question first. INRI is an acronym for a Latin translation of the inscription Pilate had put on the sign he placed on Jesus’ cross. Pilate had a sign […]