Q & A – Page 9 – Evidence for Christianity

William Lane Craig mentions you (John Oakes) in a recent podcast about his new book. What do you think about the podcast and the comment?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Anthropology, Creation, General, Q & A, Science and the Bible .

Question: Recently Dr. William Lane Craig published his book called ‘In Quest of the Historical Adam’ he also mentioned you in his podcast https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ibHVicnJ5LmNvbS9mZWVkcy9yZWFzb25hYmxlX2ZhaXRoLnhtbA/episode/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ibHVicnJ5LmNvbS9yZWFzb25hYmxlX2ZhaXRoLzgxNjMzMTkyL3JlYWN0aW9ucy1iZWdpbi1vbi1oaXN0b3JpY2FsLWFkYW0tYm9vay8 What do you think of his thoughts and what he said there? Answer: I love this article and am glad you found a reference to myself by Dr. Craig. This was […]

How can I reconcile God’s foreknowledge and man’s free will?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Philosophy, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: I find it difficult to reconcile the relationship between God’s foreknowledge and man’s freewill. How could God foretell one is going to drink coffee or tea if man has free choice or predict the winner of two evenly matched basketball teams assuming He does not manipulate the game. For the same rationale, how did […]

Did Moses lie to Pharaoh when he said that Israel would only go into the desert for three days and then come back? Did God participate in this lie?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Why did Moses give Pharaoh the impression the children of Israel would only go to wilderness to worship 3 days then return? Was He lying? Did God participate in this by commission or by omission? Answer: I had to think about this one for a while. To be honest, I am not absolutely sure […]

Is it reasonable to say that the Old Testament sacrifices did not take away sins, but that they held back their consequences until Jesus came as a perfect sacrifice?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A .

Question: Is it fair to say that the sacrifices in the Old Testament never took away sins, as Hebrews 10:4 says, but rather held back the consequences of it until Jesus came as the perfect sacrifice to finally atone for sins? Answer: This is not exactly how I would put it, but it is pretty […]

Did Paul clearly state that Jesus is God in the seven letters he clearly wrote?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: In the seven letters that Paul clearly wrote, did he write that Jesus is God? In other words, did he teach that God existed in the form of three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Can you give me verses for this? Answer: To be honest, I do not want to answer this question. […]

It has been proved that behavior is determined by biology. The effects of brain injury proves this. Does this not disprove the reality of the soul/conscience/free will?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Anthropology, General, Philosophy, Q & A, Science and the Bible, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: I wish to bring up some issues regarding neuroscience. I was watching something on television about a man who suffered very serious brain injury. He survived, but his personality and behavior were completely different. Even his friends and loved ones said he was a totally different person. Does this prove that behavior really is […]

How do you respond to the claim that the story of Moses’ being placed in a basket is borrowed from the story of Sargon I, from 2400 BC?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, History, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Recently an unbeliever raised an objection against the reliability of the biblical accounts, he said that the account of Moses in which he was placed in a basket on the river by his mother had been a copy of the biography of Sargon of Akkad, a Mesopotamian monarch around 2400 BC. The account of […]

How do you view Isaiah 19:18-24? Has this prophecy been fulfilled? If so, how?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Church History, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A .

Question: How do you view Isaiah 19:18-24? It seems that the prophecy has not been accomplished yet from my understanding of the scripture. I’ve seen some commentaries claiming that Assyria and Egypt unification is more related to Christianity and that the Coptic and Syriac churches united as one in fellowship with our Lord. Could there […]

What are your thoughts on the Passion Translation of the Bible?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Versions of the Bible .

Question: What are your thoughts on the Passion Translation of the Bible, accuracy, etc.? I was reading some information online and unsure about sources. Answer: The Passion Translation is not really a translation, at least not in the classic sense. It is more of an interpretation. It is not done by a university-trained biblical scholar. […]

New Testament authors manufactured prophecies about Jesus! For example, Matthew 2:23, John 7:38-39. What is your response?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Questions: The NT authors manufactured prophecies about Jesus by twisting OT passages out of context to make them say things the original authors never intended. For e.g. (1) The murder of children by King Herod was not prophesied in Jeremiah 31:15 because Jeremiah was describing the deportation of Israelites from Ramah a century before his […]

If the Law/Torah was abolished or nailed to the cross, then why does God put the Torah within our hearts in the New Covenant?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: If the Law (Heb. Torah) was abolished or nailed to cross then why in the New Covenant does God put His Torah within us and write it upon our hearts? Answer: I assume you are referring to Colossians 2:13-14. “He forgave our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against […]

What is the Book of Ecclesiastes all about? It seems so pessimistic. What is its message?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Practical Christianity, Q & A .

Question: What is the book of Ecclesiastes all about? I read it once- it seems pessimistic and hopeless- though the last of the12th chapter is a bit okay. There it’s written nothing makes sense- life is all about eating and drinking and everything is nonsense and meaningless. The message of Ecclesiastes seems utterly different from […]

If Jesus could not prevent Ravi Zacharias from sexual misconduct, how can he save Christians from hell?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Practical Christianity, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

[Editor’s Note: Ravi Zacharias is a well-known apologist who died recently. After his death it was revealed that he had inappropriate sexual behavior. This is not just a rumor and it has been an embarrassment to Christians, which prompts this question] Question: If Jesus couldn’t prevent Ravi Zecharias from sexual misconduct, how shall he save […]

The story of Putana sent to kill Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita is similar to that of Herod trying to kill Jesus. Could the Bible writers have derived this story from the Bhagavad Gita?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: In the Bhagavad Gita there is the story about Putana being sent to kill Krishna, which seems very similar to the story of King Harold of the Bible being sent to kill Jesus. Could the Bible have derived this story from Bhagavad Gita, or the other way around? You also have mentioned that Bhagavad […]

Is consciousness immaterial? What does the Bible say about consciousness? What about neuroscience?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Anthropology, General, Philosophy, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

[Editor’s note: By coincidence, two questions about consciousness arrived on the same day. I am including both Q & As below] Question: Is consciousness immaterial? Answer: Yes, consciousness is immaterial. How could self-awareness be a physical thing? It is a sort of epiphenomenon. There may be brain activities associated with consciousness, but it is hard […]

By the Bible’s own standard of false prophets, the Old Testament includes false prophets. Your response?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

[Editor’s note: This question is part of a series which are a believer passing along criticisms of Christianity from his Muslim friend] Question: My Muslim friend replied to me about your points that: 1) If presumably Daniel or Ezekiel talked about an earlier event, it doesn’t mean that whole book is reliable. Unless scrolls of […]

Is the doctrine of once saved, forever saved true? If so, are those who “fall away” never actually disciples from the beginning?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: Is the doctrine of once saved, forever saved true? Are those who “fall away” not the true disciples from the beginning? Answer: Once saved, always saved, also known as “perseverance of the saints,” is a false doctrine that was created in the sixteenth century by the likes of Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin and […]

Why did God send an evil spirit to torment King Saul?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: Why did God send an evil spirit to torment king Saul? Answer: This is a tough question. It can be hard to square our understanding of God as a loving father with biblical statements that God allows people to be overcome by evil. I would explain this by pointing out that there are a […]

Muhammad had 17 scribes. The OT prophets were written posthumously and had no recorded scribes. The Bible is not reliable! Response?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, General Apologetics, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Muslims says: Quran was written down in its entirety at the time of Muhammad’s death and the Sira (prophetic biography) of Muhammad lists the names of 17 scribes of the Quran. By distinction, the prophetic books of OT were posthumous writings and scribes are not even named. What happened to prophetic scrolls during Exile? […]

Muslims say that the Bible has many shameful things in it like Isaiah being naked (Isaiah 20:2), discussion of large genitalia (Ezekiel 16) and more. Your response?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A .

Question: Muslims say the Bible cannot be God’s word because it contains many cheap things unlike Qur’an for e.g. (1) God ordered Isaiah to be naked (Isa. 20:2) (2) The language of sexually morbid man used in Ezekiel 16 & 23 where it talks about large genitals, breast fondling of women and emission of men. Do […]

My Muslim friend tells me there are several prophecies in the Old Testament that failed, such as Ezekiel 26:7-17, Haggai 2:21-13 and Zechariah 4:6-7. Your response?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: My Muslim friend says: There were a number of oracles delivered by recognized prophets which did not come true. For example, Ezekiel predicted the destruction of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar (Ezek. 26:7-14), but he himself later acknowledges that the king’s siege of the city was UNSUCCESSFUL (Ezek. 29:17-20). Both Haggai’s (2:21-23) & Zechariah’s (4:6-7) glorious […]

The writings of several of the prophets were destroyed by the ruling class of the Jews. What is your response?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: The writings of several prophets were destroyed by the ruling class of the Jews. According to Justin Martyr, the Jews have omitted sayings by Jeremiah and Ezra, as well as the words “from the wood” after “The Lord reigns” in Psalm 95(96):10 (Dialogue with Trypho, 71-73). It means Jews were NOT honest keepers of […]

The Bible makes it clear that sacrificing children is evil, yet he allowed Jephthah to sacrifice his daughter. Am I missing something?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: In scriptures such as Leviticus 18:21, 2 Kings 23:10, and Jerimiah 32:35, the Bible seems to make it very clear that child sacrifice is evil, and not acceptable. However, In In Judges 11:34 – 40 it seems as though God is accepting the taking of a child as a sacrifice in exchange for allowing […]

Where does the idea that God created the natural laws that act in the universe come from?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Creation, General, Q & A, Science and the Bible .

Questions: 1. Where does the idea that God created natural laws so these could act (such as evolution) come from? Is it reasonable? 2. What are your thoughts on Christian websites which deny evolution, and even the existence of dinosaurs? 3. As a scientist can you please give me your opinion on this article of […]

What are the scientific dates for the start and end of each of the six days of creation in Genesis 1?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Creation, General, Q & A, Science and the Bible .

[Editor’s note: We do not normally copy and paste Q & A’s from other websites, but I appreciate Hugh Ross’ courage to put forth actual dates sufficiently to publish this from the website https://reasons.org/explore/publications/questions-from-social-media/what-are-the-scientific-dates-for-the-starts-and-ends-of-the-six-creation-days Like Hugh Ross, I am a day/age creationist] Question of the week: What are the scientific dates for start and end times […]

What is the best argument of atheists? Can science prove the existence of God? What about free will?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Creation, General, General Apologetics, Q & A, Science and the Bible, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: 1. Which is the best atheist argument? 2. Can science disprove or prove the existence of god? 3. What do you think about this video on free will debunked? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpU_e3jh_FY  You don’t have free will, but don’t worry. In this video I explain why free will is incompatible with the currently known laws […]

Philo, a Jewish philosopher, lived from 20 BCE to 50 CE. He never mentioned the crucifixion. Why do we believe Josephus who mentioned Jesus long after he lived, but ignore Philo?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, History, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Philo (c. 20 BCE – 50 CE) did not mention the crucifixion of Jesus or the 3 hours’ darkness although he was contemporary of Jesus. Christians present Josephus and Tacitus as Non-Christian proof of Crucifixion but they wrote long after Jesus. What’s your response? Answer: We have no idea of whether Philo ever mentioned […]

Muslims claim that Muhammad did a miracle of “splitting the moon,” and that NASA supports this idea. Your response?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles, Other Religions, Q & A .

Question: A Muslim started to debate with me about evidences of Islam, and he immediately shared a link which shows 19 convincing proofs of splitting of moon by Muhammad (a supposed miracle of Muhammad). Actually I almost lost my Christian Faith after reading the website he provided–it really contains shocking empirical evidences of splitting of […]

Why would God make men to desire the beauty of women, but then call it sin when we are aroused by that beauty?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Anthropology, General, Practical Christianity, Q & A .

Question: I am supposed to be a Christian man, and I can’t seem to NOT like looking at porn. My question is this: Why would God make man to desire the beauty of a woman, then call it sin when he’s excited by them? The dilemma is that the basic instinct of a man is […]

Where did Jesus’ DNA come from? Was half of it from Mary?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Anthropology, General, Q & A .

Question: My question is this: If Jesus was fully human, that would mean he had DNA, just like the rest of us. Our DNA is a combination of our biological parents’ DNA. Jesus’ biological mother was Mary, so half of His DNA would have been from her. I believe He was conceived by the Holy […]

What is the best evidence for mind/body dualism? Where can I find such evidence?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Anthropology, General, Philosophy, Q & A, Science and the Bible .

Question: What is the best evidence for mind/body dualism? Where can I find such evidence? Answer: The “mind” is a metaphysical idea, which I am convinced does have a physical component in the brain. When we think or when we decide, neurons fire and neurochemicals are released in the brain. However, “mind” is not a […]

Is Sura 41:11-12, which talks about a layer of the sky offering protection talking about the ozone layer? Is this an example of the Qur’an being “scientific?”

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Creation, General, Other Religions, Q & A .

Question: I have a question about Surah 41:11-12. It says the nearest heaven was made for protection. Does that mean the Qur’an is describing the earth’s atmosphere/ozone layer protecting it? Is it a scientific fact? Answer: It sounds like you have been looking at the web site of a Muslim apologist. What we need to […]

Does quantum mechanics inform us that matter and even the universe has consciousness? What are the religious implications?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A, Science and the Bible .

Question: The following link I have sent you is to a discussion I found online about some interesting theories on consciousness and free will. The article in question notes that it is quite possible that matter and even the universe itself may actually be conscious, as some scientists now believe. It is claimed that consciousness […]

Is there solid evidence that Old Testament prophecies such as those in Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Nahum and Jeremiah were given before the events prophesied?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Daniel, General Apologetics, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Is there evidence that Old testament prophecies like those in Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Nahum, Jeremiah etc. were made prior to the events they prophesied? Answer: Yes, of course. Many of the prophecies in the Old Testament certainly were fulfilled after the prophecies were written down. However, there are also Old Testament prophecies–especially in Jeremiah and […]

When has God intervened in world history? Does the witch of Endor prove that the Bible talks about ghosts?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Science and the Bible .

Question: 1. Can you tell me when do you think God has intervened in all the history of the world? 2. Does the witch of Endor prove that the Bible talks about ghosts? 3. As a PhD scientist in quantum physics, what do you think about Schrodingers cat? How can something be alive and dead […]

Catholics precede Protestants and their Bibles have extra books. Does this mean that Protestants removed part of the Bible and Catholics have the correct canon?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Versions of the Bible .

Question: I understand that Catholics came into existence first and then later the Protestants. The Catholic’s Bible has additional material such as extra chapters of Esther and extra books like 1 Maccabees, unlike the Protestant Bible with 66 books. This causes me to think that Protestants removed the additional books and chapters from the Bible […]

How do we know that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were actually the authors of those gospels? How does this relate to their reliability?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: How do we know that Mathew Mark Luke and John were actually written by the people whose names they were accredited to? I will grant that it was probably at least written by a member of the church because it was widely accepted as the holy word of God by the early church who […]

What are your thoughts on irreducible complexity? You seem to argue both sides on this.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Creation, General, Q & A, Science and the Bible, Uncategorized .

Question: What are your thoughts on irreducible complexity? I read your essay on the four kinds of theistic explanations of creation a while ago and I remember you writing that you do not side with Intelligent Design and that irreducible complexity is an ID teaching. I’m currently reading your book “Is There A God?” and […]

My atheist friend says that random events can create complexity, like in evolution. He also says humans create better things than God, for example the banana.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Science and the Bible .

Questions: I have three questions concerning me a little bit. 1. My atheist friend says that random things can make something really complex, like random mutations in evoltuion. 2. He also says that humans create better things than God, for example the wild old bananas compared with the genetically modified ones. 3. What do you […]

Is there any credible evidence for the existence of supernatural things such as miracles, demons, life after death, etc.?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, General Apologetics, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Miracles, Q & A .

Question: Is there any credible evidence for the supernatural (miracles, immaterial conscience, life after death, demon possession, etc.) ? Answer: Yes, there is. Quite a bit, actually. The evidence for Jesus of Nazareth’s resurrection is very strong. There is the fact of his execution by crucifixion, the fact of his empty tomb and the fact […]

The gospels promote a pagan man/God idea which was fashionable at that time. Paul is a liar who transformed God’s prophet Jesus into deity.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, History, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Comments: Can you show the continuity of the chain of transmission of So-called Gospels? These were not revealed by God but promote a pagan concept of God/Son or Man-God which was in fashion during times of Jesus. You will know after your death that what have you done to yourself. Good Luck! For your kind information, […]

In the Qur’an Allah is a God of the whole universe. The God of the Bible is a tribal deity. The prophets of the Qur’an has prophets of many nations. Bible prophets are only Jews. How does a Christian respond to this?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

[Editor’s Note: This is a series of several questions from a Muslim who has criticism of the Bible. Q & As are interspersed] Question: If you read Quran, you will observe that God is addressed as God for All Universe but in case of Bible, God is just a Tribal God addressed as “God of […]

Why is sin in Christianity so black and white? I understand adultery being sinful, but who is hurt by premarital sex or homosexuality?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Practical Christianity, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: People usually accuse religions, including Christianity, of having a black and white view on sin. They are very direct like “you shall do this and you shall not do this” without considering the nuances. If God wrote his law in our hearts (conscience), then shouldn’t everyone or at least most people understand how homosexuality […]

The Qur’an is and always has been a religion for all people, but Judaism/Christianity is a tribal religion, with only Jewish prophets. Your response?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A .

Question: If you read the Quran, you will observe that God is addressed as God for all the universe but in case of Bible, God is just a tribal God addressed as “God of Israel”. Moreover, the Quran says: We surely sent a messenger to every community, saying, “Worship Allah and shun false gods.” but […]

Can you respond to a web article that claims to have debunked the fine tuning argument for a Creator?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Creation, General, Q & A, Science and the Bible .

Question: I was wondering if you could help me with something. Recently I’ve been studying the Fine Tuning Argument for the Universe. I came across this blog that attempts to debunk it. I’ve looked through your questions and answers section but haven’t been able to find anything that addresses the counter argument that this blog […]

If free will is real, then what about a child raised in the family of a terrorist? Are they as responsible as a child raised in a Christian home?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Practical Christianity, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: Christians (non-Calvinists) tend to say that we have free will and that we ourselves are responsible for going to hell because we have the ability to choose between Christ and our worldly desires. But does free will exist to an extent that people generally believe? Isn’t everyone a subject to the family they were […]

Muslims deny Jesus died on the cross. Can you help respond to an article making this claim?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

[Editor’s note: This is a VERY long question, which is simply copied and pasted from a web site. There are far too many issues raised for me to answer all of them in limited time. What I do afterward is give a general response, rather than address all of the issues raised. If this article […]

Was Peter the first pope? If so, does this prove Catholicism?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Q & A .

Question: Was Peter the first pope? If true, would this prove Catholicism: Answer: Catholicism can neither be proved nor disproved. You cannot “prove” a religious group. Catholicism has beliefs and practices which are biblical and Catholicism has beliefs and practices that are unbiblical. I am sure this is true of all Christian groups. One of […]

How can God love us if love is just the effect of chemicals inside our brain? What about the Libet experiment?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Uncategorized .

Questions: I was reading on a website some questions of skeptics that had me thinking. 1 How can God love us if love is just an effect of chemicals inside our brain? 2 Your thoughts on the libet experiment? 3 Why do we have a brain instead of being a brain? Those were all my […]

If Revelation is about things that will “soon take place” (Rev 1:1) then how can it refer to the collapse of Rome more than 300 years later? What about current events?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, End Times, General, Q & A .

Questions: 1. I was taught the following about the Book of Revelation: Because in Rev 1:1 it is written concerning “what must soon take place”, therefore all of the Book of Revelation speaks about the events immediately after it was written (96 AD). There are many images of plagues and disasters referring to the decline […]