Question: I was talking to a Muslim and he told me that the word that was used in the original Hebrew New Testament for the cross actually meant Stick and that the word has changes over time to mean cross, is this true? Also I am readibng your book “Reasons for Belief.” It is very […]
Question: How did we get light on the first day when the sun was not created until the fourth ? Answer: I have studied current theories of the early earth and its atmosphere. As far as I understand it, the early earth most likely had much higher quantities of sufur dioxide, methane, ammonia and so […]
Questions (there are several here): Let us take the final 11 verses of Mark for which the earliest evidence is non-existent. Why and by whom were they later added? Why was Jesus described as riding on a donkey? Because the writer knew it would be seen as the fulfilment of OT prophecy and would therefore […]
How can you disprove Mormonism? I am currently a Mormon now. Also, why are there so many diffrent versions of the Bible? I have produced a fair amount of material on Mormonism at the web site. One can consider the validity of this religion from two main perspectives. First of all, are the teachings of […]
Question The earliest Gospel was written c. 70 AD. We have only purported reports of what Jesus said – see for example Geza Vermes ” The Authentic Gospel of Jesus” or further ” The Jesus Mysteries” by Freke & Gandy. Even evangelical writers such as Mark Stibbe talk of “redactors” and “interpretations.” The claims you […]
Question: I was looking on the internet and i saw some intresting books in PDF form at this website, http://www.ellisskolfield.com/downloadable-books.shtml, they are intersting but I would like to know what you think of them. Answer: This person’s arguments work as long as he is only talking with people who already agree with him and who […]
Question: In your section on the 10 horns-the 11th being Domitian, what historical sources can you site that show that Vespesian and/or Domitian subdued Otho and Galba? I have only been able to find sources for Vitellius’s overthrow by armed forces who supported Vespesian. Could the three who were subdued actually be ordinal… For example, […]
Question:Please comment on three quotes I found in your book, “Is There a God?” Page 23. ” If in asking questions about the Bible one is unwilling to reach the conclusion that the Bible is wrong, then it is easy to predict what conclusion will be reached. Page 25.” Belief in Adam and Eve can […]
Question: I’m trying to reconcile an apparent discrepancy/contradiction between Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts of the Gerasene demoniac. Matthew says there were two while Mark says there was just one. I’m conviced the Bible is inspired, but it seems strange (to me at least). Wasn’t Matthew an eye-witness? And isn’t Mark’s Gospel Peter’s (another eye-witness) memoires? […]
Question: What is your take on mitochondrial Eve? Answer: My take on “mitochondrial Eve,” is that there is evidence that all human beings are related by direct descent to a single female progenitor from about (this is not my area of expertise) 20 or 30,000 years ago. The fact which forms the basis of this […]
Question: Does the denial of macro-evolutionary theory fly in the face of decades of evidence & research? Isn’t the idea of ‘theory’, in regards to macro-evolution, really a fact on balance of probabilities (considering paleontological discoveries)? Is it incredibly simplistic & naive to say that people like Richard Dawkins (who wrote ‘The Selfish Gene’ & […]
Question: I am currently a college student and have taken several religion courses. Often I find information that bothers me. One is that it is often very biased due to the teacher. What has been bothering me recently is some information that has been presented to us, and claimed as “factual.” It is said that […]
Question: Some Muslims believe that soon everyone in the world will be Islamic, and this will be started by the return of the perfect one who they regard to be Jesus. Could this supposed Jesus be one of the anti-Christs, who we are warned of repeatedly in the Bible? I was also thinking that maybe […]
Question: I was rereading your article on the ID debate after reading through an interesting article found at the link below http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/archive/00002583/ It made me reconsider your statement: “There is no experiment one can even conceive of which can test the design hypothesis. What could one do in a laboratory to test whether a system […]
Question: I have a friend who is a Muslim, and as most people know, they believe in only one God. My friend asked me if I thought that Jesus was God and further emphasized that the Bible does not talk about the trinity. He also pointed out that Jesus never refered to himself as God. […]
Question: With regard to Islam, it seems the religion shows a worldly image of heaven. This thought came to mind when I looked at your power point on Islam at the web site. I think Muhammad wanted to build on people’s darkest desires in order to make converts, while still trying to keep some kind […]
Question: I just recently shared my faith with a man who claimed you cannot trust the Bible as it is just a theory. He also holds that history has been altered and that the stories of the New Testament were most likely alteredt. I told him about the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in […]
Question: I was wondering when the three wise men came to see the baby Jesus? It seems like it was a few years later–is that right? Answer: To begin with, you have noticed what many miss, which is that the wise men did not come to the stable on the night of Jesus? birth. Tradition […]
Question: I have a colleague at work who professes to believe in Christ and yet lives a lifestyle which does not reflect this. During discussions on the issues in the Bible I am repeatedly confronted by the accusation that God cannot be just and still punish people for different crimes in the same way (I […]
Question: Do you think that it is possible that Judgement Day is near because many of the signs are happening such as earthquakes famines and pestilences? Also, it is now possible to have battles of 200,000,000 men as described in Revelation. Answer: I think it is possible that Judgement Day is near, but I do […]
Question: Why did God allow people in the Old Testament to have more than one wife, even though we do not practice this today? What about “white lies?” Did Rahab sin when she lied? Did God allow immorality, such as with Jacob and his maidservant, which was consented to by his wives Leah and Rachel? […]
Question: Is Partial Preterism wrong? Answer: If partial preterism is wrong, then I am wrong as well, as that is a fair description of how I view the book of Revelation. I am confident you know the meaning of this term, but for the sake of anyone else reading this question and answer, let me […]
Question: How can only Matthew through Revelation be considered divine scripture? What about the Apocrypha? What about the thousands of other writings? Besides, it was man who canonized scripture and man is not perfect so that would obvisouly mean that scripture runs the risk of not being perfect right? What I am really struggling with […]
Question: Will you give me evidence on whether “Christianity is the foundation of liberty”? Answer: I will need to guess what the person from whom you are quoting is trying to claim. I am going to guess that this person is saying that the indirect influence of Christianity on human culture and means of government […]
Question: I was recently reading material from a conspiracy theorist named David Icke, and tried to look into what he believes and preaches. I ran into a bunch of articles that try to debunk Christianity and the bible. I am highly offended by his work, and although he seems to have put a lot of […]
Question: What is your opinion on whether babies should be baptized or not? I am a member of the Church of England, so I would say yes but is it really necessary to be a Christian? My freind is a non- denominational Christian and hasn’t been baptized. Is he a Christian, or is the essence […]
Question: Can a Christian eat pork? I eat it all the time but I know that in the Old Testament it says you shouldn’t but in New Testament Christ says that is OK as nothing makes you unclean exept that that comes out of your mouth not in.Answer: In Mark 7:17-19, as you allude to, […]
Question(s): I was looking online about the Qur’an and I found some amazing errors which it is hard to imagine how they could explain it. They are: With regards to Alexander the Great it says that he was given his power from Allah, which is proposterous as he is said to have the importance of […]
Question: Is Jesus’ birth day on December 25th or an approximation? How did we come to this date? Please share your studies on this especially some scripture(s). Answer: I answered this question in an article posted at the web site just a couple of weeks ago. What I will do is copy the article here: […]
Question: I HEARD THAT THE BEST WAYTO READ THE BIBLE IS TO READ IT BOOK AFTER BOOK . SO IT ISN’T RECOMMANDED TO READ BEGINING BY GENESIS AFTER READ JOHN AFTER MATHEW AND EXODUS AND SO FORTH .THE BEST WAYTO READ IS READ GENESESIS AFTER EXODUS AND LEVITICUS AND SO FORTH. I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY […]
Question: Note: This question came in French. I have attempted to translate it, but it may not make complete sense. (J. O.) HOW to LIVE A LIFE OF DISCIPLE everyday WITHOUT HAVING THE CULPABILITE OF sins; HOW to GIVE THE BEst of ONESELF for GOD WITH such restricted time? AND HOW ETRE OUTSIDE ONESELF IN […]
Question: It seems that most of Revelation has taken place, but I’m confused about the seals, trumpets, and bowls of Gods wrath. Can the OT/NT, or other historical writings help us understand when these events happened? Answer: When you say that “most of Revelations has taken place,” I assume that you believe the majority of […]
Question: Does Hebrews 6:4-7 refer to it being impossible for fall aways to repent due to their state of heart and mind, and not that God is preventing them from being restored to the faith? Also, in Matthew 24:12, who is referred to as “most?”Answer: If you just read Hebrews 6:4-6 in isolation, I can […]
Question: Is it true that all of the prophets in the Bible had a mother and a father? Christ himself was given birth through the Virgin Mary and so essentially this means that Christ has no earthly father. This is an amazing piece of evidence that Jesus is the Christ, along with the prophecies from […]
Question: How do you know evolution isn’t real? Answer: The answer is that I do not know it isn?t real. Evolution happens. It is real. We know this from experiment. Scientists have studied very simple life forms such as bacteria and viruses and observed them “evolving” in the laboratory. By doing genetic studies, they can […]
Question: The instructor in my religious class at college (VCU) teaches that 1-2 Timothy, Titus and 2 Peter where written in the early 2nd century. Why do they think that? How do we know the letters really were written by the apostles? What would it mean to us if they were written in the 2nd […]
Question: Do you believe that the supposed big bang is possible with what it says in the Bible as I think I am not sure but from the Bible I have never seen anything which directly contradicts this theory. Answer: As I would assume you know, this is a matter of opinion. More accurately, it […]
Question: In John 14 :12 Jesus says whoever believes in him will do what he did and even greater. This makes me feel that as a disciple I could be able to do virtually everything (pray for the sick and have them get well etc). Please shed more light on the ability that lies in […]
Question: I am doing an apologetics project to help me answer the questions of critics and am struggling to find a decent secular source on Jewish burial practices in the first century. The reason that I am seasrching for this is that I am currently looking at different versions of the swoon theory and the […]
Question: I would like to help my father and brother to know God and Jesus as they are taught in the bible. Both of them are from a traditional denomination. Can I as a woman study the Bible with men? Answer: Let me answer you by giving a general rule or principle. There are many […]
Question: I’m trying to put together a series of Bible Talks or small group discussions that have to do with evidences for a teen group I lead. Many of the teens have a hard time proving their faith and being confident especially when going off to college. I don’t know if you have any group […]
Question: Were people literate in the time of Jesus? Answer: This is a good question. As I understand it, the answer will depend on who you are talking about; whether the Jews themselves, or their Roman, Greek and other cultural neighbors. By the time of Christ, the chief institution among the Jews was the Synagogue. […]
Question: I am interested to know what is your opinion on the Earth’s approximate age in view of the fact that creationists believe it to be not more then a few of thousand years. They oppose the scientists’ claims that the Earh could be as much as 4,5 billion years old. They oppose this on […]
Question: Who is God talking to in Genesis 1:26? Answer: That is an interesting question. There are two aspects to this question. The first question is what is the implication of the use of the first person, plural (us, our) in this passage? The second question is who is the audience of the statement? Let […]
Sylvia; No, it definitely is not true that only 144,000 people will go to heaven, despite the fact that the Jehovah’s Witness has famously interpreted the passage that way. First of all, you should know that most of the book of Revelation is in what is known as apocalyptic language. This is a type of […]
I just read the article by Professor Geisler about early monotheism and had a few questions. I’m guessing that the author is assuming that Adam and Eve were the first ‘homo sapiens’ , and that the levant civilizations, particularly that of the ancient ‘habiru’ was the very first. I have read that the Chinese and […]
I have a theory regarding the passages in John 8 & Mark 16 not being in the Codex Vaticanus & Sinaiticus I would like you to comment on. Isn’t it possible that the previous version, from which these were copied, had John 8 & Mark 16 torn out, resulting in incomplete manuscript copies?;Maybe younger Codex […]
The bible teaches in Acts that the miraculous gifts were given at the laying on of the apostles hands. Therefore, they could have still been in existence in the late 2nd century (up to 100 years after John the apostle died). Is there any reference to miraculous gifts by the early ‘Church Fathers’ in their […]
What is Acts 10:44-46 talking about? Some people use this scripture to support that baptism is NOT neccessary for salvation, but I belief that baptism is indeed necessary for salvation. The context of Acts 10:44-46 is that this is the event through which God was able to convince Peter that salvation was for the Gentiles […]
In Matthew 13:31-32 Jesus talks about the kingdom of heaven and what it is like. The mustard seed starting out small and growing into something big(a tree that grows 10-15ft high). My question is what do “the birds of the air” symbolize in this passage? Is there any reference in scriptures that would help identify […]
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