General – Page 11 – Evidence for Christianity

Hume, Popper and other philosophers agree on empiricism. That, along with Ockham’s razor implies that the supernatural is not real, and the burden of proof is on the believer.

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

Statement: What do you make of the argument that we must assume that everything has a natural cause and explanation i.e Hume’s empiricism. We do not know everything, therefore I can not tell you what is naturally possible. This therefore means that supernatural forces are most likely non-existant. Occam’s razor and Poppers falsifiability also support […]

My Muslim friend claims that Genesis 21:13-21, Isaiah 42:11 and Isaiah 21:13-17 are clearly prophecies about Muhammad. Your response?

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

Question: My Muslim friend claims that Genesis 21:13-21, Isaiah 42:11, Isaiah 21:13-17 clearly prophesy about Muhammad. How do I respond to him- because I am confused. Answer: There is a grain of truth to the first passage being about Muhammad, but just a very small grain. Let me explain. The Bible makes it plain that […]

Why is God so active in the Bible (miracles like the flood or Exodus), but now we have no direct interaction with Him?

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

Question: Why is God so “active” in the Bible (like the flood or even the creation of man) but nowadays we have no direct interaction with him? Answer: This is a good question. But the answer is really fairly simple. God is sovereign, but he gives human beings free will. God only intervenes in history […]

What, exactly, is the Devil? Isn’t God arrogant to command us to love him over all else?

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

Questions: What is exactly the Devil? Is it not arrogant for God to tell everyone to love him over all things? When someone behaves in an evil way for example stealing money, is it because the Devil is making him do that? Answers: Perhaps it is a big surprising, but the Bible does not actually […]

What is your response to the “puddle analogy” which refutes the fine tuning argument for a Creator by saying that life tuned itself to the universe, not that the universe is tuned for life?

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

Question: I have run across arguments by atheists that say that the universe is not fine-tuned for life, but life is fine tuned to the universe and they describe this in the “puddle” analogy. Basically they say it only appears the world is fine-tuned for life, but in actuality life was able to adapt to […]

If the author of 1 Clement was born about AD 35, why did he not mention meeting Paul or any of the other apostles?

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

Question: Since the early church father Clement who wrote 1st Clement was born in 35 A. D, why did he not talk about personally meeting the 12 apostles or meeting Paul? It is very obvious that Clement will have been a mature adult around 50s. During 50s , St. Paul was still alive plus all […]

Why is Jesus the compassionate one so rude and insensitive to the man who asks if he should stay to bury his father? (Luke 9:59-60)

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

Question: We see an incident in the Bible where Jesus says follow me and let the dead bury their own dead when a disciple tells that he should stay to bury his father. Why is Jesus, who is known for compassion, being rude and insensitive here? Answer: This is a good question. I certainly cannot […]

How do I defend to my friend when he points out the wars waged by Abrahamic religions. He is losing his faith.

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

Question: My friend is losing his faith because in history we are learning about wars, and some of these wars we are studying include wars that were made because of Abrahamic religions. In these religious wars, a lot of people were murdered and tortured as well as other bad things done to them. How would […]

Was Jesus born on Christmas? Why did God make antimatter?

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

Questions: Was Jesus born on Christmas? Why did god make antimatter? Answers: Jesus definitely was not born on Dec. 25 (or on Jan 7, which is the Orthodox Christmas) No one knows the date of Jesus’ birth. Anyone who says they do is wrong, and should be ignored, in my opinion. The Bible gives us […]

What happens to people with mental illness when they die, assuming they do not understand their actions?

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

Question: What happens to people with mental problems when they die since they cant think about their actions? Answer: Your question is a good one. It is one example of a wide range of similar problems. What about the person who dies before birth or immediately after birth? What about the person who was at […]

My Hindu friend says that Jesus taught pantheism, and that the original teachings of Jesus are all lost. He also says the God of Christianity is a disgusting God. What is your response?

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

Questions: My Hindu friend asked 4 questions, please help me with how to respond i. Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda teach real Christianity. ii. Jesus taught Pantheism and Monism (as said by Swami Vivekananda). He claims that ultimately what is in the Gospels were written 40-100 years after Jesus’s death- and that’s why the real […]

My materialist friend says we are merely some cells that have not reached entropy. Your response? Why does God torture his sons in hell?

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

Questions: My materialist friend says that we are just some cells that have not reached entropy yet. How should I answer this? Why would a loving God torture his sons in hell? Answers: On the first question, we are certainly more than mere cells. Your friend is taking an hyper-materialist stand here which will not […]

Are ghosts real? Do we have evidence of Jesus’ miracles? According to the big bang model, is God the cause of the big bang?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles, Q & A, Resurrection of Jesus, Science and the Bible, Supernatural .

Questions: 1. As a Christian, do you believe, at least one ghost video is real, and if it is why does the soul stay on earth instead of going to heaven or hell? 2. Do we have evidence for Jesus’ miracles? 3. According to the standard big bang models, is God the cause? Answer: 1. […]

Do you agree with skeptics who claim that in discussions about the existence of God, the burden of proof is on the believer?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Creation, General, Philosophy, Q & A, Supernatural .

Question: My question has to deal with skeptics/atheists when they claim they do not have the “burden of proof” in debates on God’s existence, origin of life, and other similar conversations. I have a hard time accepting/understanding why it’s okay to be skeptical of the Christian/theist worldview, but then say you don’t have to come […]

Do you act because of something our brain does, or because of something our soul does?

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

Question: Do we act because of our brain or because of our soul? Are all NDE (near death experiences) unreliable? Did Plato prove that the afterlife is real? Answer: Your first question is a good one, in my opinion. I do not think that this is a particularly “Christian” question. The Bible will not help […]

Is it possible that the vile ruler of Daniel 11:21 is Emperor Vespasian?

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

Question: Is it possible that the vile ruler of Daniel 11:21 is Vespasian? As he seized the kingdom by intrigue, he wasn’t a Roman royal and he plundered and looted etc. Answer: The vile ruler is Antiochus Epiphanes, who ruled the Seleucid territories from 175-164 BC. I believe that if you look into it, you […]

The Bible says that we can ask anything in prayer and we will receive it, but experience tells me something quite different. This is confusing. Your thoughts?

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

Question: My question is in regards to these types of scriptures on prayer (I capitalised some of the bits I’m trying to unpack). 1 John 5:14-15. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: That if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us–WHATEVER […]

Some first century people such as Marcion of Sinope or the Docetists did not believe Jesus was a real person. Where did this idea come from?

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

Question; Why was there so much confusion even in the first and second century about whether Jesus Christ of Nazareth even existed as a historical person or not. One example of someone who questioned the reality of Jesus was Marcion of Sinope, a 1st century historical person. Also there were the Docetists, Gnostics and others […]

Why does God allow natural disasters?

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

Question: Why does God allow natural disasters? Answer: God allows natural disasters because they are natural. This may sound like too simple an answer, but I believe it is the correct answer. God created a universe in which planets sustain life. In order for a planet to sustain life, it must have what we call […]

Why does Jesus almost always tell people not to tell others what he has done, but with Legion, he does the opposite?

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

Question: I️ am reading through the gospels right now, I️ am in Luke. As I️ have been reading through it I️ have noticed a majority of the time after Jesus heals someone He tells them not to say anything. He also tells the demons to be quiet when they try to speak about Him. Why […]

How do I show it is more logical to propose that there is only one case (ie. God) rather than several or infinite causes?

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

Question: How do I prove it is more logical to propose that there is only one cause (God) than several causes or infinite causes? Isn’t it more reasonable to say that anything that exists has a cause, than anything that starts to exist has a cause? [editor’s note: he is talking about the difference between […]

How do I refute the infinite past theory of the universe?

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

Question: How do I refute the infinite past theory of the universe? Answer: The “infinite past” theory is normally called the idea of the eternal universe. This is the belief of Eastern cosmologies such as Hinduism and Buddhism, as pantheism requires an eternal universe. This idea is refuted by science. Before the 1940s physicists in […]

How do I convince my atheist friend evolution does not contradict God. What about my young earth creationist friend that it does not contradict Genesis?

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

Question: 1. How do I convince my atheist friend that evolution does not contradict God? 2. How do I convince my young earth creationist friend that evolution does not contradict Adam and Eve or Genesis? Answer: I am fairly sure I already answered this question for you earlier. If not, then you can find a […]

Robert Price says a miracle-worker like Jesus should have mention in non-Christian writings in the first century, but there is none. He concludes Jesus is a fictional character. Your response?

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

Question: I want to ask one question. One skeptic New Testament scholar Robert McNair Price says that since our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth was a miracle working historical person who did many miracles like multiplying thousands of bread and fishes, raised the deaths, turning water into wine, healed the sick persons, resurrected, ascended and […]

How do I respond to a query about Jesus–whether he is a liar, a lunatic or God?

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

Question: How to respond to a query about Jesus–whether he is a liar, a lunatic or God? Answer: I respond to this by asking the people to read my book “Reasons for Belief” (available at www.ipibooks.com). In this book I spend two chapters delving into the liar/lord/lunatic question. If they do not want to spend the […]

Did the big bang just happen?

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

Question: Did the big bang just happen?? Answer: The phrase “just happened” has two meanings. It can mean that the thing happened quite recently. It can also mean that it happened, but that there was no cause or reason for it to happen. In other words, when we say it “just happened” we mean that […]

Is time real? How did it begin to exist? How can we still be evolving if we are in God’s image?

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

Question: Is time real and how did it start to exist? How can we still be evolving and be in God’s image? Answer: Is time real? I suppose that depends on how you define realness. This is a deep, philosophical question. However, I am going to duck the philosophical question of the definition of realness […]

My Muslim and Hindu friends ask me to explain why God told Hosea to marry a prostitute. How do I answer?

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

Question: Why did God tell Hosea to marry a prostitute? Many from other religions such as Hinduism and Islam ask me this question. If God of the Bible is sinless how can he tell Hosea to marry a prostitute? Answer; Honestly, any fair-minded person could answer this for themselves. In the first three chapters of […]

Is there mythology in the Bible?

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

Question: Is there mythology in the bible? Answer: The simple answer is no. According to the common, Western idea of mythology, the Bible has no mythology. The layperson’s definition of mythology is something like this: fictitious stories created by cultures to tell themselves about the nature of reality. The key word there is fictitious. If […]

How would you respond to someone who says the big bang idea is wrong because explosions do not produce stuff like matter or energy?

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

Question: How would you respond to someone who says that the big bang is false because explosions don’t produce stuff like matter or energy? Answer: I would say, first of all, that this person is correct in that it is true that explosions do not produce “stuff.” However, his argument is incorrect for this reason. […]

Do you use the teleological argument? Can you respond to a video I found from a guy who claims to totally disprove the teleological/watchmaker argument?

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

Question: I have read on your website that you are in great support of the Cosmological Argument, but I have not been able to find what your thoughts are on the Teleological Argument (That everything is fine-tuned and directs to belief in a creator). I also know this argument is favored by Intelligent Design supporters […]

We have plenty of evidence that modern humans do not descend from a single original couple, yet Genesis says that we do? What are your thoughts on this?

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

Question: We have plenty of evidence that the world didn’t start with an original couple, but Genesis says that it did. What are your thoughts on this? Answer: Actually, the evidence says that the universe started about 13.5 billion years before there were any people, and the earth began about 4.6 billion years before there […]

How did Moses know what to write in Genesis?

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

Question: How did Moses know what to write in Genesis? If we say God revealed things to Moses, why did he write allegorical things and why did he use literary figures? Answer: I have no reason to believe that Moses wrote Genesis. This is a tradition which has been accepted by many believers for a […]

How can I respond to those who say that evolutive processes such as star formation and animal evolution do not need God, and who therefore reject the existence of God?

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

Question: How would you respond to people who say that evolutive processes ( like the creation of stars and animal evolution) need no God, and therefore who reject the idea of God on that basis? Answer: I believe that the processes of star-formation and animal evolution are natural processes which proceed according to the natural […]

Which is preferrable, the kalaam cosmological argument or the original cosmological argument of Thomas Aquinas? How can one refute the idea of an eternal universe?

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

Question: 1. Which do you prefer: the kaalam cosmological argument or the original cosmological argument of Thomas Aquinas? 2. How can one refute the idea of an eternal universe? Answer: That is an easy question. The kaalam cosmological argument is definitely the superior one. That is why it was proposed in the first place. Here […]

What should I think about the fact that the number of Christians is getting less and less?

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

Question: What do you think about the fact that the number of Christians is constantly getting less and less? This personally worries me. [Editor’s note: A follow-up question to my answer came in since this was posted. This person saw a claim that only 10% of the people in Mexico are Christians and this seemed […]

Why do Christians say that the earth was created 6000 years ago? Why does God love us?

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

Question: 1. Why do some people say the earth was created 6000 years ago? (since the bible does not mention this at all) 2. Why do you think God loves us so much? 3. Is your website Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, or a different type of Christianity? Answer: The reason that some Christians claim that the […]

What are some good arguments to support the claim that evolution needs to have an intelligent creator in order for it to work?

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

Question: What are some good arguments to support this statement: Evolution needs to have an intelligent creator so it can work? Answer: Normally I write out answers to all questions, but in this case I am going to do something different. I am going to give you a list of resources you can use to […]

What are your thoughts on the theory of an eternal universe based on the idea of a quantum world?

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

Question: What are your thoughts on the theorem of an eternal universe because of the quantum world? Answer: To tell you the truth, I have never seen quantum theory used to defend belief in an eternal universe. The steady-state theory, also known as the theory of continuous creation, was formerly defended by a minority of […]

Did God create the sun as is, or did it form by natural physical processes? Should we expect a scientific explanation of Genesis 1, or is it just poetry?

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

Question: Do you think God made the sun by himself, or do you think used physical laws as a plan so the sun could be created from the elements? Also, should we find a scientific explanation of what we read in Genesis or we should just interpret it as something merely poetic and not literal? […]

Many say in an age of science the Bible cannot be reliable if it claims creation in just six days, given that evolution is proven. Your response?

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

Question: Many say that in the age of science it’s absurd to say that Bible is reliable when it says that the Creation took 6 days to complete and God created man when evolution is proven. How do I answer them? I’m not a science student but how can we answer such questions? Answer: I […]

Did Moses copy the Old Testament from another source? If so, does this make the Old Testament not reliable?

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

Questions: Did Moses copy the Old Testament from another book or source? If the last statement is true then would that mean that the only reliable thing in the Bible are in the New Testament? Answer: First of all, Moses was only responsible for a limited portion of the Old Testament. Almost certainly he did […]

Were the Jews in the first century aware that the Christians claimed they were responsible for the death of Jesus? If the OT prophecies of the Messiah came true, why did Jews not believe in Jesus?

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

Question: I have three questions. 1. The New Testament says that non believing Jewish leaders were accused of handing Jesus over to be killed by the Romans. The first century Jews did not deny this historical fact, as they knew that they played a role in killing Jesus by handing him to the Romans soldiers. […]

Did Moses copy the Old Testament from other sources? If so, then is the Old Testament not reliable?

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

Question: Did Moses copy the Old Testament from another book or source? If the last statement is true then is the only reliable part of the Bible the New Testament? Answer: First of all, Moses was only responsible for a limited portion of the Old Testament. Almost certainly he did not write Genesis. There is […]

How did Matthew learn about the dream that Pilate’s wife had? What kind of person was Pontius Pilate? Is Ehrman right?

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

Question: How do you thing the gospel writer Matthew could have gotten information about Pontius Pilate wife’s dream regarding Jesus in his Gospel? What kind of person do you think Pilate was? For this question please see these two links: [Editor’s note: these are two articles in which Bart Ehrman argues against the reliability of […]

The Gabriel inscription predicts a Messiah who would resurrect on the third day. W. L. Craig says that the Jews believed in a kingly Messiah would free them from Rome. Which is correct?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Prefigures and Foreshadows, Q & A, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: Dr. William Lane Craig and others have pointed out that first century Jews were not waiting for humble Messiah who will suffer, let alone will rise from the dead. They waited for king who would free them from the Romans. But I found information in a video about Dr. Knohl who decoded an inscription […]

Some propose that the universe is self-thinking and conscious. How would this work if the universe was created? Would this prove pantheism?

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

Question: How would you respond to someone who says the universe is self-thinking and conscious? How would this work in terms of the universe creating itself and also fine tuning? Would that prove pantheism? Answer; As you appear to recognize, you are describing a view of the cosmos known as pantheism. This is a theology […]

How do you respond to the claim that acc. to Josephus John the Baptist died 5 years after Jesus and that the gospel writers rewrote history to fit the Jesus narrative?

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

[Editor’s note: An excerpt from the article this question refers to, as well as a link to the article are found after my response to her question. It would be a good idea to look at the link in order to understand the issue being raised] Question: What do you make of this article that […]

What is Kabbalah? Is it Gnosticism? Mysticism?

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

Question: I have tried to find some info about kabbalah on your site and didn’t find any. If I understand correctly, Kabbalah is an invention of the Middle Ages from Jewish people who were involved in the occult. I even saw something about a kabbalistic upside down Christmas tree which troubled me. I have interacted […]

A friend says before the universe existed, there was a quantum vacuum that created it. Your thoughts? Does God know all future events, including possible events?

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

Question: 1. What would you say to a person that claims this: Before the universe there was a quantum vaccuum that created the universe? 2. Does god know all the future events that may or may NOT happen? Answer; On the first question, if anyone says this then I assume that they do not know […]