In Hemant Mehta's video, 78 Questions for Christians, he asked several questions concerning the truth of Christianity – especially when compared to other religions. We'll discuss these in this post.
28)
If a group of people came from, say, Africa, came to your community
with the intent to convert you to their tribal faith, would you
listen to them and take them seriously or would you just dismiss them
because they don't believe what you already believe?
34)
What do you say to Muslims who believe the Quran is the Holy Book?
35)
Are they wrong?
36)
Have you read the Quran?
37)
And why do you so easily dismiss their Holy Book?
38)
And then why do you get upset at atheists who dismiss yours?
I
believe in God, I believe in Jesus, and I believe the Bible. I
believe these things for the same reasons I believe anything – I
think they're real, true, and correct. Of course, I wasn't always a
Christian and I didn't always believe the Bible. From a starting
point of doubt and skepticism, I sought answers and became convinced
that God is real and the Bible is true.
It's
not possible here to cite everything that convinced me to become a
Christian. I've written before about five,
quick arguments for the existence of God. I believe the crux of
those is point 4 – the historical fact of Jesus. The Bible is not
like other books of religion. It was written over hundreds of years
by dozens of people. Jesus had a very public ministry. He spoke to
crowds, performed miracles, died publicly, and appeared alive again
to hundreds of people. His words and miracles were recorded by
eyewitnesses and the veracity of the New Testament far surpasses any
other book of antiquity.
I
simply cannot examine every religion in the world. Nevertheless,
they all have their chance in the arena of ideas. Anyone who claims
to have the truth, I will listen to him. How do his claims compare
to the Bible? To whom did his revelation come – to one or to many?
Is there archaeological and scientific evidence? Is there
historical evidence? What is the provenance of his religious book?
Truth
is exclusive. All world religions could be wrong but they can't all
be right. Still, there is far more reason to believe the Bible than
any other claim to the truth.
23)
Is there anything in your life right now that makes you doubt God's
existence?
24)
If you did doubt God's existence, how would your life change?
This
question is vague. Is Mehta asking if I could doubt the existence of
Yahweh or of any god? I know Yahweh lives but, if something could
ever make me doubt that, I still wouldn't stop believing in an
eternal, supernatural, personal creator of the universe. If I
believed there was no god, I would be a fool.
61)
What would it take to change your mind about God's existence?
62)
Do you think it's a little strange when someone says they're going to
believe in something no matter what, even when all the evidence seems
to point to the other direction?
Atheists
play word games. For example, they often say that atheism
isn't a belief there's no god but rather a lack of belief in God.
It's a subtle difference but they say this to avoid the logical
fallacy of asserting a universal negative. But here, Mehta is saying
that “all
the evidence seems to point to the other direction”
of there being a God. Really, Mehta? “All” the evidence? I
have yet to hear any
evidence
for atheism.
I've
written before that some atheists proudly boast that their
fundamental argument is a lack of the evidence for God. If
atheists want to say they aren't convinced by the evidence for
God, then that's a different story. But let's be clear here: there
is no evidence that God doesn't exist.
65)
Why are there so many Christian denominations?
66)
And are the people who are in those different denominations bad
Christians? Are they wrong?
67)
Which denomination is right?
68)
Or which group of denominations is right?
We
talked about this a little in my community group at Church a few
weeks ago. There, I said that Catholics aren't Christians. Baptists
aren't Christians. Only Christians are Christians!
Different
denominations doesn't always mean different beliefs. Sometimes,
denominations simply represent how Christians have chosen to organize
and govern themselves. For example, one group of Christians might
assemble into one, large, organization where each community is just a
local branch of the larger organization. Another denomination might
be made up of independent, local churches where each community is
autonomous.
Of
course, a denomination can sometimes be identified by certain
practices in its services. Different people have different views on
things like the use of instruments in their music, if they should pay
their pastors, do they take up offerings, how to ordain pastors or
deacons, how to support missionaries, etc. Many of these different
practices have no bearing on the gospel or what is required for
salvation. In that case, there are no right or wrong denominations –
only differences.
There
are some groups, though, that might be called “denominations” but
aren't Christian. Jehovah's Witnesses and the LDS are examples.
These types of groups claim to believe in Jesus but they have a
different understanding of who Jesus is. They believe in some other
Jesus, not the Person described in the Bible.
73)
Do you think it's just a coincidence that different religions are
popular in different parts of the world?
74)
Do you believe that if you were born in Saudi Arabia, you would be a
Muslim rather than a Christian?
75)
Is it possible that religion has less to do with what's true and more
to do with the circumstances of where and when you were born?
I'm
not sure how relevant the question is. Of course we're products of
our culture. If I were born in Japan, I would probably speak
Japanese, right? But how would that make Shinto or Buddhism true and
Christianity false? If I were home schooled and only taught
creationism, would that make creation true? If I were educated in
public schools and only taught evolution, does that make evolution
true? The truth exists regardless of what different people in
different places believe.
There
are different people in different parts of the world that don't have
the truth. Jesus has commanded, “Go
ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you”
(Matthew 28:19-20). Preach and teach. That's the job of every
Christian.
2 comments:
If I were born in Japan, I would probably speak Japanese, right? But how would that make Shinto or Buddhism true and Christianity false?
Isn't that Mehta's point? It wouldn't make Christianity false (I'm not sure any Japanese actually believe that the emperor is descended from the literal goddess Amaterasu) -- but it would almost certainly make you less likely to believe in it. His point is that adducing evidences for your religion follows from, rather than leads to, adoption of that religion -- that religious belief has nonrational grounds.
Is Mehta asking if I could doubt the existence of Yahweh or of any god?
The former, I think (note that capital "G" for "God" as opposed to the small "g" for "god," generically). If you doubt that Muslims or Jehovah's Witnesses worship the same God as you do, surely a deist who held that God had inspired no scriptures or intervened in His creation would strike you as denying your God. Arguments for a Creator, as such, are not automatically arguments that this Creator has any more personal interest in our spiritual, moral, or physical well-being than we might have for bacteria in a Petri dish. He's still asking why, if for any reason, you'd abandon your religion, not necessarily provisional acceptance of some sort of supreme being.
But here, Mehta is saying that “all the evidence seems to point to the other direction” of there being a God.
Sometimes, the wicked flourish and the faithful suffer. Disasters rain down randomly with respect to piety, kindness, or creed (though not with respect to local ecology or economy, suggesting, again, a natural rather than supernatural source for these things). The Bible notes this phenomenon but cannot seem to come to a firm explanation of how this is consistent with a righteous, prayer-hearing, miracle-working God's governance of the world.
Then again, as I've noted before, it's perfectly easy to imagine paleontological, archaeological, and astronomical evidence consistent with an Earth, and universe, less than ten thousand years old, with trilobites and sauropods and humans all living simultaneously, and with a global flood some five thousand years ago. The evidence can be imagined, but the evidence that has actually been found points quite a different way.
The plain sense of scripture implies that Jesus should have returned, with legions of angels, within the lifetime of some of the original disciples. He seems not to have done so, any more than Nebuchanezzer managed to conquer Egypt or render Tyre permanently nonexistent (it still existed in Jesus' day, and in ours), despite the prophecies of Ezekiel. Again, this doesn't address the existence of a God Who set evolution in motion 13.8 billion years ago, but it is somewhat problematic for a God Who inspired the Bible and meant for it to be interpreted in its plain sense.
His words and miracles were recorded by eyewitnesses and the veracity of the New Testament far surpasses any other book of antiquity.
Doesn't that assume your conclusion? Yes, the New Testament contains records of Jesus' (and others') miracles and teachings. The official biography of Muhammed (not the Koran, but the Sira, a compilation of supposed eyewitness accounts of the life of Muhammed) contains records of his teachings and miracles. There is some doubt of its strict accuracy. Eyewitnesses can lie (even about being eyewitnesses in the first place) or be mistaken, or be misunderstood, or have their testimony revised in the recounting by later writers.
Steven J,
You said, “Isn't that Mehta's point? It wouldn't make Christianity false (I'm not sure any Japanese actually believe that the emperor is descended from the literal goddess Amaterasu) -- but it would almost certainly make you less likely to believe in it. His point is that adducing evidences for your religion follows from, rather than leads to, adoption of that religion -- that religious belief has nonrational grounds.”
Yes, that was Mehta's point. It's a ploy. Mehta wants to raise doubt in a person by suggesting he believes something only because it's all he's been taught. I'm merely pointing out that such a tactic has no bearing on whether or not that thing is true.
Besides, like I also pointed out in my post, I wasn't always a Christian and didn't always believe creation. I've changed my mind on many things so I'm not a victim of indoctrination but, rather, I've been freed from my indoctrination.
You said, “The former, I think (note that capital "G" for "God" as opposed to the small "g" for "god," generically).”
When to use upper and lower case letters was my decision. I typed a transcript of what Mehta was saying rather than copying something he had written. Since his questions are directed toward Christians, I assume he means the God of Christians. However, he is an atheist so I believe he ultimately is trying to persuade me to his lack of belief in any god.
You said, “Sometimes, the wicked flourish and the faithful suffer. Disasters rain down randomly with respect to piety, kindness, or creed (though not with respect to local ecology or economy, suggesting, again, a natural rather than supernatural source for these things). The Bible notes this phenomenon but cannot seem to come to a firm explanation of how this is consistent with a righteous, prayer-hearing, miracle-working God's governance of the world.”
The Bible does account for why bad things happen – sin. God cursed the ground as part of His judgment of Adam (Genesis 3:17). Romans 8:21-22 says, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
God is loving but He is also just. We have spoiled this creation with our disobedience but He has promised a new creation where there will be no more curse (Revelation 22:3). Furthermore, He ransomed us from this cursed world through by shedding his own blood (Acts 20:28).
You said, “Doesn't that assume your conclusion? Yes, the New Testament contains records of Jesus' (and others') miracles and teachings. The official biography of Muhammed (not the Koran, but the Sira, a compilation of supposed eyewitness accounts of the life of Muhammed) contains records of his teachings and miracles.”
As I said in my post, the Bible is a book of history where God's revealed Himself through many prophets. Jesus preached the gospel to thousands and was seen alive again after His resurrection by hundreds. The supposed revelation of Allah came only to Muhammad.
Indeed, witnesses can lie, but dozens of witnesses who affirm their testimony even under the threat of death is very compelling. The unmatched veracity of their eyewitness accounts compared to the suspicious provenance of the testimony of a single person makes the truth of Christianity seem far more likely.
Thanks for your comments. God bless!!
RKBentley
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