Philosophy – Evidence for Christianity

How would you respond to people who say The Greeks (before Christ) also had science. Therefore, there is nothing special about the Bible and its contributions to science?

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

Question: How would you respond to people who say “The Greeks (before Christ) also had science. Therefore, there is nothing special about the Bible and its contributions to science.”? Answer: The Greeks made some significant advances in the study of the natural world, but one thing that they did NOT do is apply the scientific […]

How does the soul interact with the brain? How does free will work? What is the explanation of consciousness?

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

Editor’s note: This is a long but important question with an even longer answer! Question: Kind of a tough question here that has been on my mind for a couple years now… I’ve been reading up about free will, philosophy of mind, and neuroscience and am having trouble reconciling these things with the Christian faith/ […]

The happiest countries in the world by many surveys–Denmark and Finland–are largely atheist. How do you explain this?

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

Question: I was having a conversation with a friend about how Christianity overall makes positive impacts in the world/society. His rebuttal was that Finland and Denmark are consistently ranked the happiest countries in the world and less than a quarter of their population even believes in a god. They also have much lower crime rates […]

Do you believe in universalism? The original bible scriptures supported this.

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

Question: Are you a believer in Christian Universalism (restoration of ALL) Apocatastasis rather than Unitarian Universalism? I believe the Bible in the original writings support this. You mention in some of your writings you believe in heaven but don’t mention hell. Hell–meaning eternal, conscious torment for all who don’t believe in Christ. To me that […]

How would you refute the argument that God is not omnipotent because he is not able to create a rock he cannot lift?

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

Question: How would you refute the “paradox of the stone”? Answer: I assume you are asking me to refute the famous argument against the omnipotence of the God of the Bible. Christians claim that God is omnipotent. Yet, the argument goes, God is clearly not omnipotent, because he is not powerful enough to create a […]

How was God created? How long has he existed?

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

Question: How was God created or how long has he existed? What does “I am what I am” mean? Answer: This is one of the classic questions, both of skeptics of Christianity, but also from some believers. It is a response to what is known as the cosmological argument, which goes like this: Premise: All […]

Is it true that the Gospel of John had multiple authors and that it borrowed the idea of logos from pagan writers?

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

Note: This is a rather long question with a relatively short answer. Question: Recently I found some interesting claims about the Gospel of John. These are quotations of the Muslim critic Misha’al Al-Kadhi and his references to Christian scholars, that should bring doubt about the Gospel of John: 1. “Even at that, it is recognized […]

Why did a loving and powerful God create predators? All answers I have heard are nonsense!

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

Question: “Why did loving God create predators”? I heard many answers but all are non-sense! The most famous 2 answers are: 1- Predators are important for the ecosystem. The problem is that God is the one who created this ecosystem. He could create an ecosystem that doesn’t need predation. He could decrease fertility rate of […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

My atheist friend claims complexity does not necessarily imply design. He uses evolution as an example. Your response?

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

Questions: I have an atheist friend, and we debated recently about religion and the existence of God. He made two points: 1. Just because something is complex it doesn’t mean it is designed. He mentions evolution as an example of his point. 2. He also says he is glad that he isn’t a Christian because […]

Will science be able to explain consciousness? If so, what would that do to our understanding of the soul? Why did God create us using evolution?

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

Questions: Will science be able to explain consciousness? What if this happened, how would it affect our understanding of spirit and soul? Why did god created us using evolution ínstead of creating us ex nihilo? Answers: This is a good question, but it is also a difficult question. It is a hard question because consciousness […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

If humans created clones, would it be a sin to kill one of them? Would they have a soul? Also, why do people say that belief in God and in evolution is inconsistent?

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

Question: 1. If humans created clones, would it be a sin to kill one of them? Would they have a soul? 2. If we have a lot of evidence of God, and a lot of fossil evidence of evolution, why do some people say one has to be true and the other one has to […]

Is the Cosmological Argument irrefutable?

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

Question: I have 2 questions right now, I hope you can answer me. 1. Is the cosmological argument irrefutable? 2. Did the flood occur before prehistoric times, for example the ice age, or after it? Answer: Refutability is in the eye of the beholder! Here is the Kalaam Cosmological Argument: Premise: All things that […]

Is it true that Christianity endorsed Hermeticism at the beginning?

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

Question: Is it true that Christianity endorsed Hermeticism at the beginning? Answer; I am going to guess that you saw someone somewhere claim that Christianity borrowed its belief system in part from Hermeticism. The simple answer to your question is a hard no. No, Christianity never has endorsed Hermeticism and especially primitive Christianity certainly did […]

Is Critical Theory a worldview? Is it appropriate for Christians to use CT to expose racism and racial injustice?

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

[Editor’s note: This is a series of questions on Critical Theory, which is a philosophical method developed in Germany in the 1930s, but which has been mentioned much lately as a means to evaluate and propose solutions to the racial issues in the US today.] Question: I have a question for you. I have been […]

Why did God need to sacrifice his only Son in order to forgive people’s sins? Couldn’t he have done it a different way?

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

Questions: 1) Why does God need to sacrifice His only Son in order to forgive other people’s sins? He is God, so couldn’t He do this without sacrificing his son? 2) Is the trinity a contraction? (How can God sacrifice Himself to Himself?) Answers: You are asking some really big questions here. I am answering […]

Why is it better to acknowledge God and live an exemplary life than to simply live an exemplary life for its own sake?

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

Question: I am an undergrad at [unidentified prestigious American university] who has been having a discussion with some friends about the following question: Why is it so much better to be a Christian than a virtuous person in the world? Why is it better to acknowledge God and live an exemplary life rather than just […]

Is human nature good or evil? Are humans basically good?

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

Question: Is human nature good or evil? For the majority of my life, I have been told humans are born evil. Evil humanity must choose God so they will completely alter the core of their being to ‘good’. Humanity then lives the rest of their lives fighting the true self so God can continue to […]

How can God’s omnipresence be consistent with theophany (God appearing to man)?

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

Question: I am confused with omnipresence of God and the theophany in Old Testament. My question is how the omnipresent nature of God can be consistent with theophany? Hope this helps. A similar question goes for the incarnation and the second coming of Christ. If God is omnipresent how then can theophany or incarnation makes […]

How much should knowing the worldview of the Jews affect our understanding of the Bible? Are we affected in our understanding by the Enlightenment, modernism, and postmodernism?

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

Question: This may require some speculation, but what do we know about how thought paradigms have affected beliefs about the Bible throughout history? For example, today people get tripped-up over things like how Noah got every animal on earth into the ark, which misses the moral point of the story, but would a first century […]

My son asks a good, logical question: If God is all-powerful and sovereign, then why would he hold us responsible, since he predestines what we do?

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

Question: My son has a “logical” but non-Biblical idea. He believes that God’s will is omnipotent, sovereign and therefore (because God is good) all obey His will and therefore are not responsible for what they do. Their actions are all predetermined. How do you respond to this quandary? Answer: This may be the single most common […]

If we allow for the multiverse idea, is it not possible that life on earth just popped into existence?

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

Question: Once you allow the multiverse, is it not possible that life on earth just popped into existence kind of like Boltzmann brains? Answer: First of all, there is absolutely zero evidence for the multiverse. This is utter speculation. This speculation only exists, in my opinion, because atheists need a fall-back argument against the FACT […]

How can free will exist if God is omnipotent?

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

Question: How can free will exist if God is omnipotent? Answer: First of all, I assume you are asking about free will in light of God’s sovereignty, not his omnipotence. I see no logical problem in God being all-powerful preventing him from using his power to create a sentient being with free will. I know […]

Can God make a rock so big he cannot move it? How do I respond to this question from a skeptic?

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

Question: What is the way to respond to this question? Can God make a rock so big, he can’t move it? Answer: This is one of the classic “challenges” to the idea of the Christian God that atheists and agnostics throw out there. It is really a rather unsophisticated challenge, but for those who do […]

Is the multiverse theory true and is this a reasonable argument against the existence of God?

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

Question: I want to ask you some questions about quantum mechanics, cause I know that’s your specialization. 1. I’ve read about the many-worlds interpretation and am wondering if it is true, and if it’s true then would this interpretation deny God’s existence? 2. I’ve also read about many-minds interpretation, but I am still confused about […]

The Bible says that Jesus was “conceived by the Holy Spirit.” Therefore he cannot be the son of the Father. How does this work?

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

Question: I believe the Holy Spirit is a person and I believe Jesus was conceived through the Holy spirit, but someone who thinks the Holy Spirit is not a person could ask me this question and I cannot find an answer..please help me ! The reasoning is this: If the Holy Spirit is a person of […]

How can God be in control when/if people have free will?

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

[Editor’s note: I received two remarkably similar questions within hours of each other, so am combining them below. I hope it is not confusing.] Question: I have few questions that have weighed on the back of my mind for a while. How is God in control when people have free will? They can sin against […]

Yahweh was originally a Canaanite god, the Jews were originally polytheists, and why do you ignore the Sumerian gods?

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

Question: I just came across your answer to a question about the origin of Yahweh and usage of the name. Your info is lacking. Yahweh originates out of Canaan though he is described [sic] concerning his theophany with Baal. Both are storm Gods. The Israelites are an offshoot of the Canaanites so it’s no surprise […]

What would you say to an atheist who is a complete materialist (who believes in only the things he can see) to convince him that Jesus is the truth?

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

Question: What would you say to an atheist who is a complete materialist (who believes in only the things he can see) to convince him that Jesus is the truth? Answer: That would depend on the person. Not every materialist is the same. If the person is even an iota open, I might do a […]

What is your view of “open theism?”

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

Question: I have a theological question. I want to hear your thoughts on “open theism”, the idea that God is all-knowing and all-powerful but that He can’t “see into the future” because it hasn’t happened yet. The idea came up when discussing the nature of God with my son. He is a teen and is […]

Can a person be moral without God?

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

Question: Can man be moral without God? What about atheists who claim one doesn’t need religion to be moral? Does every bit of morality we have stem from the Bible? What about cultural differences? Answer: Please forgive the slow response. I believe that it is possible to be moral without being a Christian, however it […]

Does what we know of neuroscience leave room for the idea of soul?

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

Question: I had a question regarding the concept of the soul. It is currently my study in anatomy that has brought this topic back to mind. I looked for some resources on the site regarding the topic and gathered what I could from it. It has been a few years since I looked at this […]

If all God created is good, then why did Saul receive “an evil spirit from the Lord”?

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

Question: In 1 Samuel 19:9, it reads, “But an evil spirit from the Lord….”. How can there be an evil spirit from God, since there is no evil in Him? I’ve looked at several translations, and they are all the same. Can you explain this one? What is meant by this? Thank you. Answer: A […]

Would it be reasonable for an atheist to propose that the big bang is the “uncaused cause?”

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

Question: I read a few articles on your website about God being the uncaused cause. I’m aware that this is more of a philosophical argument, with scientific evidence supporting it. However, if we just consider scientific evidence with philosophical thinking aside, can atheists argue then that the big bang itself is the uncaused cause? I realize you […]

I am truly struggling in my faith because of all the suffering in the world.

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

Request: I am truly struggling with my Christian faith to the point that I am not sure about anything anymore. I was taught that “God is Love” and he created man NOT to sin, but told Adam and Eve there was ONE thing in the entire Garden of Eden that they could not touch, and […]

How does God love us if he created us to sin?

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

Question: Man’s creation has recently come up in my mind. I do not understand it exactly. My confusion comes up with the idea of love. I get that God is relational and he made us to be that way also. However, I feel confused about why he would let us endure so much pain here. […]