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Category Archives: Doubt Busters
Isn’t the Israelite’s entrance into the Promised Land in the OT symbolic of our going to Heaven when we die?
I’ve sung several hymns where this point of view is held. The crossing of the river Jordan into Canaan’s land is held to represent death, and the land itself is Heaven. I don’t hold to that view, and I’ll explain … Continue reading
After doing all these things, does this mean I’ll go to Heaven when I die?
A fuller version of the question is: “I have gone through Sunday School as a child, have been attending church regularly, tithe regularly, do my best to be a good person, and sometimes read my Bible and pray. Does this … Continue reading
Is predestination really about man’s free will versus God’s sovereignty?
Many people start their approach to predestination from a philosophical position rather than on the actual words and phrases the Bible uses about it. For instance, I asked one person how he begins his argument for predestination. He said, “God … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity
Tagged chosen, conformed, elect, foreknowledge, free will, image of Christ, omnipotence, Predestination, sovereignty
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Why are so many of today’s scientists frustrated with the theory of evolution?
Remember when the early scientists thought to prove that life could be created by electricity in an ideal atmosphere? That never really panned out; the proteins created by that method were right-handed proteins and all organic life required left-handed proteins. … Continue reading
Posted in Science and Evolution
Tagged creation, evolution, intelligent design, science
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Don’t I have to love myself before I can love others?
People often give this response to the story in Matthew’s gospel where a lawyer asked Jesus which was the greatest commandment in the law. Jesus had answered: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with … Continue reading
Will the world end on a specific date based on the Mayan calendar?
God was very specific when he told us how the world will “end.” Because he wanted us to be ready against that time, he gave specific prophecies regarding specific events, some of which could be happening in our lifetime, to … Continue reading
What good are the Ten Commandments for today?
God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses to pass on to the Israelites in ancient times. Are they still relevant now? Well, God’s purpose for giving them then are similar to the purpose they are given now. If the Israelites … Continue reading
Posted in The Bible
Tagged children of Israel, laws, Mosaic Law, Moses, obedience, Ten Commandments
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Does God help those who help themselves?
I don’t know the origins of this phrase, but it sounds like an observation born out of experience, or possibly someone struggled with trying to make sense of the relationship between God’s work and man’s work, and he came up … Continue reading
Why does the Bible talk about Israel signing a peace treaty?
Daniel 9:24-27 gives us a sweeping, end-times prophecy from Christ’s first coming to His Second Coming. Verse 27 tells us about the final seven years before Christ sets up His kingdom. It all begins with someone making an agreement, or … Continue reading
Couldn’t God just forgive instead of sending His Son to die?
Why couldn’t God just forgive all our wrongdoings? Because it would be like a judge who, faced with a murderer, stood up from his seat and said, “I forgive you.” Not only would he shock the courtroom and outrage the … Continue reading
Why is it that many people get into religion when they’re down on their luck and not when they’re happy and enjoying life?
People are more readily predisposed to get help when they have been devastated by some physical or emotional loss and are unsure of how to help themselves. In many cases, they will try to cope with their problem with drugs, … Continue reading
You defend your religion because you’re biased, right?
A bias is the same as having a particular view of the world. Everyone has a bias. The atheist’s religious bias is that there is no God. A Christian’s religious bias is that there is a God and he created … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Spirituality, Society and Culture
Tagged assumptions, atheists, bias, Christians, worldview
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How can you be hungry for God?
How do you stay hungry for God? That’s easy to answer. Never be satisfied with the world, the flesh, or the devil, and always strive for something beyond what you can attain on your own. As long as you are … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity
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Was the mark of Cain God’s curse on him?
Here is the passage in question. As we see, Cain kills his brother, God confronts him with it, then the mark is applied: And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the … Continue reading
How can I be sure I’m really believing by faith?
One of the reasons you are confused about faith is because it has been ruthlessly redefined beyond recognition. Some people in religion have defined it as a power, while secularists have mocked it as believing contrary to proof. Both are … Continue reading
How could you love a God who told father Abraham to kill his son?
Here is the passage referred to: And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only … Continue reading
Posted in Violence and Atrocities
Tagged Abraham, children, killing, murder, sacrifice
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If the punishment for sin is eternal punishment, then how could Jesus’ 3 days in the grave be enough?
Some question whether Christ suffered enough for our sins. After all, He was on the cross for only a few hours, and less than four days in Hell. So how could that be punishment enough for the sins of the … Continue reading
Why do atheists and agnostics twist my words around?
Remember that atheists (and agnostics) do not have an experience with the spiritual, supernatural, or metaphysical spheres. As I remember in my days before Christ, when I did not understand these things nor comprehend their power, I reconciled them with … Continue reading
What does the Bible mean when it says that we are a new creation in Christ?
Here is the verse: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Cor. 5:17).
Don’t the days of the creation week actually refer to millions of years?
Is it reasonable to assume that the six creation days in Genesis chapter one were actually extended periods of time, such as millions of years? Let’s step through the six days of creation, assuming that each day is actually an … Continue reading
Posted in Science and Evolution
Tagged creation, creationism, day/year, Doubt Busters, evolution, length of day, old earth, science, young earth
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Can a Christian fall into temptation and commit suicide?
All Christians can be tempted to sin; their history with God can help determine whether they’ll actually follow through with the temptation. For instance, if a person has been under depression off and on for many years, then accepts Jesus … Continue reading
Are there UFOs in the Bible?
Here is one of the most remarkable descriptive passages in scripture. If you believe in flying saucers, then you may think Ezekiel is describing one here. However, the other elements in the narrative rule out the idea of a flying … Continue reading
Posted in Society and Culture
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What do you think about living as if you were to die tomorrow?
“Live as though you were going to die tomorrow.” Is it possible to make this saying a guide to living? From a practical perspective, I have problems with it. Suppose you were an employee in a dead-end retail job. If … Continue reading
Why do you keep ramming religion down our throats?
This is the information age. We are constantly being bombarded with Twitter tweets, blogs, websites, Facebook or MySpace trivia, email spam, RSS feeds, television and cable/satellite programs, radio programs, DVDs and Netflix, MP3s, MPGs and YouTube, mobile phones, junk mail, … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Spirituality
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Don’t people believe in God simply to find comfort?
There’s a problem with that assumption. Although it is true that the Bible offers comfort to Christians, it contains much that is hard to hear, too. The Old Testament is full of stories of human evil and depravity, and they … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Spirituality
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I am an honest atheist, who doesn’t drink or do drugs, doesn’t sleep around, and I try to be helpful to people, so what changes to my life are necessary?
You lack the righteousness which comes by faith, which is required in God’s kingdom. If I were to move to another country, I would have to leave the Bill of Rights behind. I would need to familiarize myself regarding the … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Spirituality
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Why shouldn’t we believe Nostradamus and his prophecies?
To believe the television documentaries and books, you would think that the predictions of Nostradamus in the 16th Century mentioned Adolf Hitler, America, French president Charles De Gaulle, the moon landing, submarines, airplanes, space station, nuclear war, and the invention … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Spirituality
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Aren’t resurrection and reincarnation the same thing?
Several different religions have various teachings on reincarnation, including Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Taoism, among others. Their teachings differ slightly, but all of them are in opposition to the tenets of the Christian resurrection. Here are some of the similarities … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Spirituality
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Why can’t I expect my good deeds to outweigh my bad deeds?
When it comes to being saved, good deeds do not matter – simply because no one is good enough. This verse tells us clearly that we are saved apart from any good deeds: “But to him that worketh not, but … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Spirituality
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Is being spiritual different than being religious?
Many people would say that they are spiritual, but not religious. The way the world uses these terms, I would say that the “spiritual” person usually believes in a higher power, but doesn’t see the need to join a formal … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Spirituality
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