A Discussion on Religion

The following are selected entries (revised and edited from the originals)
taken from my blog on the topic of religion. I have had many good
discussions with nonbelievers, atheists, agnostics, and followers of
other religions. It is my intent to express to others why I worship
Jesus Christ while treating their views with respect.

Why We Can Trust the Bible

• Proximity of the dates of the writings to the actual historical events

• Preservation of the Dead Sea Scrolls

• Accuracy of the historical events when compared to other historical, secular

sources

• Fulfilled prophecies:

“The Bible is primarily concerned with the Middle East and the lands surrounding
the Mediterranean Sea. In Daniel's day, 600 BC, the greatest empire was that of
Babylon. It was succeeded by the empire of the Medes and Persians about 530
BC, and that in turn was overthrown by Alexander the Great of Greece about 330
BC. The fourth and greatest dominion of them all was the Roman, which from the
2nd Century BC to the 5th Century AD, a period of six to seven hundred years,
grew so as to dominate all the territories of the Middle East (including Israel), the
lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, as well as much of Europe. But this
mighty Roman Empire was not to be followed by a fifth, but was to be broken up
into separate nations with no cohesion. The nations of Europe today are the heirs
of this disintegration.

Now it is undeniable that the history of the territories of the Middle East, of the
Mediterranean area and of Europe has followed, over 2,500 years, from Daniel's
day in 600 BC to the present day, precisely the course foretold by Daniel.”
(http://www.christadelphia.org/pamphlet/origin.htm)

• 40 different authors with a consistent message

The writers of the different books all gave credit to God instead of taking it
themselves
• The detailed records of the history of the nation of Israel:
“The nation of Israel is unique in preserving comprehensive records of the first
1,400 years of its existence. The detailed and precise records in the historical
books of the Old Testament give names, dates of events, and significant political
developments, involving other nations of the Middle East. They agree well with
what is known from other sources of the circumstances of the period 1800-400
BC. No other nation on earth has a record remotely approaching this.
The remarkable thing is, however, that these historical records - the books of
Judges, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah for example - all go
beyond the normal functions of historians, for unanimously they pass moral
judgements on the characters involved and on the whole nation itself. They record
not only that a certain king reigned for so many years, but that "he did evil in the
sight of the LORD" or, less often, "he did that which was right . . ."

The portrait of the nation which emerges is that of a people constantly abandoning
the true worship of their God and adopting the corrupt idolatrous practices of their
pagan neighbours, with the inevitable immorality. The writings of the prophets
without exception contain substantial passages exposing Israel's failure to obey
their God, and prophesying the judgements which would come upon them, if they
did not mend their ways. Those judgements were fulfilled in successive invasions
by surrounding nations.” (http://www.christadelphia.org/pamphlet/origin.htm)

• Consistency across different time periods, cultures and languages:

“Remarkably, there is widespread evidence for absolute reliability. There are

more than 14,000 existing Old Testament manuscripts and fragments copied
throughout the Middle East, Mediterranean and European regions that agree
dramatically with each other. In addition, these texts agree with the Septuagint
version of the Old Testament, which was translated from Hebrew to Greek some
time during the 3rd century BC. The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in Israel in the
1940's and 50's, also provide phenomenal evidence for the reliability of the
ancient transmission of the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) before the arrival
of Jesus Christ. The Hebrew scribes who copied the Jewish Scriptures dedicated
their lives to preserving the accuracy of the holy books. These scribes went to
phenomenal lengths to insure manuscript reliability. They were highly trained and
meticulously observed, counting every letter, word and paragraph against master
scrolls. A single error would require the immediate destruction of the entire text.

The manuscript evidence for the New Testament is also dramatic, with over 5,300
known copies and fragments in the original Greek, nearly 800 of which were
copied before 1000 AD. Some manuscript texts date to the early second and third
centuries, with the time between the original autographs and our earliest existing
copies being a remarkably short 60 years. Interestingly, this manuscript evidence
far surpasses the manuscript reliability of other ancient writings that we trust as
authentic every day. Look at these comparisons: Julius Caesar's "The Gallic
Wars" (10 manuscripts remain, with the earliest one dating to 1,000 years after the
original autograph); Pliny the Younger's "History" (7 manuscripts; 750 years
elapsed); Thucydides' "History" (8 manuscripts; 1,300 years elapsed); Herodotus'
"History" (8 manuscripts; 1,300 years elapsed); Sophocles (193 manuscripts;
1,400 years); Euripides (9 manuscripts; 1,500 years); and Aristotle (49
manuscripts; 1,400 years).

Homer's "Iliad", the most renowned book of ancient Greece, has 643 copies of
manuscript support. In those copies, there are 764 disputed lines of text, as
compared to 40 lines in all the New Testament manuscripts (Norman L. Geisler
and William E. Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible, Moody, Chicago,
Revised and Expanded 1986, p. 367). In fact, many people are unaware that each
of William Shakespeare's 37 plays (written in the 1600's) have gaps in the
surviving manuscripts, forcing scholars to "fill in the blanks." This pales in textual
comparison with the over 5,300 copies and fragments of the New Testament that,
together, assure us that nothing's been lost. In fact, all of the New Testament
except eleven verses can be reconstructed from the writings of the early church
fathers in the second and third centuries. (A General Introduction to the Bible, Ch.
24.)

The origin of the Bible is God. It is a historical book that is backed by archeology,
 and a prophetic book that has lived up to all of its claims thus far. The Bible is
God's letter to humanity collected into 66 books written by 40 divinely inspired
writers over a period of over 1,600 years. The claim of divine inspiration may
seem dramatic (or unrealistic to some), but a careful and honest study of the
biblical scriptures will show them to be true. Powerfully, the Bible validates its
divine authorship through fulfilled prophecies. An astonishing 668 prophecies
have been fulfilled and none have ever been proven false (three are unconfirmed).
God decided to use prophecy as His primary test of divine authorship, and an
honest study of biblical prophecy will compellingly show the supernatural origin
of the Bible.
(http://www.allabouttruth.org/origin-of-the-bible.htm)

• The ability to reconstruct the Bible from outside sources:

“J. Harold Greenlee points out that the quotations of the scripture in the works of
the early church writers are so extensive that the New Testament could virtually
be reconstructed from them without the use of New Testament manuscripts.
Sir David Dalrymple sought to do this, and from the second and third century
writings of the church fathers he found the entire New Testament quoted except
for eleven verses (McDowell 1972:50-51; 1990:48)! Thus, we could throw the
New Testament manuscripts away and still reconstruct it with the simple help of
these letters.

Some examples of these are (from McDowell's Evidence..., 1972 pg. 51):

Clement (30- 95 A.D.) quotes from various sections of the New Testament.

Ignatius (70-110 A.D.) knew the apostles and quoted directly from 15 of the 27
books.

Polycarp (70-156 A.D.) was a disciple of John and quoted from the New Testament.

Thus the manuscript evidence at our disposal today gives us over 24,000 manuscripts
with which to corroborate our current New Testament. The earliest of these
manuscripts have now been dated earlier than 60-70 A.D., so within the lifetime of
the original writers, and with an outside possibility that they are the originals
themselves. On top of that we have 15,000 early translations of the New Testament,
and over 2,000 lectionaries. And finally we have scriptural quotations in the letters of
the early Church fathers with which we could almost reproduce the New Testament if
we so wished. This indeed is substantial manuscript evidence for the New Testament.
(http://www.debate.org.uk/topics/history/bib-qur/bibmanu.htm)

• Many times, people who set out to prove the Bible wrong end up being
convinced it is authentic and then convert.

The book I recommended to you earlier, The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel, was
written by a journalist who set out to prove Christianity wrong and was then
converted.

Here is another compelling example of someone who converted after embarking

on a journey to prove Christianity wrong:

“As I thought more and more about it, I became convinced that I needed to go
back to the true Islam and Allah. But in order to do so, I must first convince my
wife that Christianity is wrong. So I started by really studying Q'uran, praying
three or four times every day etc. etc.

At the same time I knew that I will never convince anybody if I did not personally
know Christianity. So I set out to prove it wrong by a logical study of the subject.
My logic was as follows: 1) Prove that the Bible is wrong and corrupted; and 2)
Prove that Jesus never died let alone rose again. If I could do that in a logical
manner, then I would have no problem in convincing my wife and lots of other
Christians that their beliefs were flawed. I had believed all along that the
Christians were wrong, they worshipped three Gods, they utter blasphemy by
saying the Jesus is the son of God, their Bible was hopelessly corrupted and they
keep changing it, there was no proof of anything they believe in and Qur'an is the
final word. Ahmad Deedat (an internationally known Muslim apologist and a very
 brash person) became my hero. I read everything booklet he has ever written and
watched every video tape he had.

But to be fair, I also decided that I will hear the Christian's side as well. Muslims
say that the Bible is corrupted, well lets see how the Christians respond to that
charge. Muslims say that Jesus never died, lets see what the Christians have to say
to defend this belief. It was during this exhaustive study that I became more and
more convinced that Christians were right in their beliefs and Jesus IS the only
way.

First I became convinced that the New Testament (as well as OT) documents as
we have them today are reliable. This was based on internal as well as external
evidences that the Christian authors, historians and scholars presented. I must
have read every book published on the subject! Once the NT was proved to be
reliable, the next step was to prove what it teaches, which is basically that Jesus
was crucified, buried, rose on the third day and then ascended to heaven. I read
numerous books on this topic, both Islamic and Christian. When I looked at the
evidence side by side, the case for crucifixion and resurrection was much stronger
than the case for no death as taught by the Qur'an. This whole thing took more
than 3 years before I was convinced without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is The
Way and I accepted it in August of 1994. But even all this study and logical
reasoning is not enough. Only God can guide you. I would encourage you to
"earnestly" pray to God for guidance. In the mean time, by all means continue
your discussions.”
(http://wri.leaderu.com/pages/mohammad.html)

• The ability of God’s Holy Spirit to transform lives and help people see the
truth is one convincing aspect of the Word of God. I was very skeptical and
wanted to research the Bible myself and prove it to be true before I believed. This
is how God works, and how He has worked throughout history.

• How could humans create the comprehensive, cohesive, consistent message of

the Bible over thousands of years, through many different authors?
 Here are a few more interesting links I found while looking for sources to provide
to you.

• Some examples of fulfilled prophecies can be found at:

http://www.truthnet.org/Bible-Origins/3_Bible_Inspiration/index.htm

• There is additional information about the canonization of scripture at:

(http://www.foundationsforfreedom.net/Topics/Bible/Bible_Canonization.html)

• This website has at least ten reasons why the Bible can be trusted.
(http://www.forerunner.com/forerunner/X0019_Is.html)

In response to your answer about where your children are, I do not believe that the
location of their physical bodies indicate where they are. Can you really accept
that this is all there is? Why would humans have the ability to think and reason, to
question and wonder? I can only conclude that there must be a purpose, a higher
purpose for why we are here, why everything seems to happen for a reason, why
the Word of God is so full of wisdom and truth, far more than any literature
written by mere humans. Why has the Bible continued to affect lives? Why has it
survived? It is contrary to the aims of government and religion.

The Bible advocates forgiveness, poverty, obedience, righteousness, truth, love…

remarkable ideas contrary to our human natures. God has created us for a divine
purpose, to demonstrate His glory and to use our gifts to further His Kingdom.
The Bible tells us how the story of our world and our civilization ends: “9
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is
above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those
in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
(Phillippians 2:9-11) The prophecies have come true before, so I believe this one
will too.
 God loves you and wants you to love Him too. If you read the whole Bible, (from
cover to cover), you will see the depth of His love, and you will receive peace in
Jesus.

posted by divinspiration @ 8:49 PM

Another Atheism Reply

Just so you don't think I'm some ignorant zealot or bigoted hick, I hope you will read
some information about me.

I lived a life of immorality apart from God until I finally found happiness and hope when
I became a born-again Christian. (For details, read my testimony here on Scribd.) I read
the entire Bible with a Bible Study where we all read a certain part of the Word of God
and discussed it every week. I would recommend atheists and all non-believers read the
entire Bible, if only to find points you can intelligently argue against. Something
tremendous happened when I read the Bible - I understood who God really is. I got to
know Him and saw His influence throughout history.

I have a B.A. in English and Comparative Literary Studies and an M.A. in Cross-Cultural
Education, so I would not say that I am uneducated or naive. I have read extensively,
from many varied sources, about the origin of the Bible and whether it is accurate or not,
and the evidence proves beyond any doubt that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, if
only because of the prophecies that have been fulfilled. The test for prophets, given in the
Bible, is 100 percent accuracy. What other faith can compare to that?

It is amazing that the Bible has existed for so much longer than any other text and that it
is the single best-selling book in the world. Why is that? The Bible changes lives and
helps to change the world.

The God of the Bible is the only influence that has changed my life for the better. I have
researched Buddhism, paganism (my father can best be described as a pagan), Islam, and
other belief systems. I was formerly a Catholic since I was a child, but left when I saw the
hypocrisy and sex abuse in the church. Christianity only lives by what the Bible says.
There isn't anything simpler than that.

I'm sorry to bring it up, but if you don't believe in God, then where do you think your
babies are? My faith tells me that they are at home with the Lord, who is sharing His love
and grace with them in heaven, where they are fulfilled and happier than we can describe
or even imagine. Paganism would say that they are encompassed by a universal nature, or
that they have been reincarnated, or that they are being watched over by dead ancestors.
But can any other religion prove what happens after death? God the Almighty Father has
given us a book telling us what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do. All
the answers are there.

I know that when you added me, you were wary of my beliefs. However, I respect your
intelligence and education and I think we can have very thoughtful and stimulating
discussions. I hope you will continue to respond and challenge me.

posted by divinspiration @ 8:36 PM

Atheism

Figures anointed in atheism include Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and Abraham
Lincoln. However, let us look deeper into their lives to determine what they really
believed.

• Benjamin Franklin: "At the age of eighty-four, just previous to his death, in
reply to inquiries concerning his religious belief from Ezra Stiles, the President of
Yale College, he wrote as follows: 'Here is my creed: I believe in one God, the
Creator of the universe. That he governs it by his providence. That he ought to be
worshiped. That the most acceptable service we render him is doing good to his
other children. That the soul of man is immortal, and will be treated with justice
in another life respecting its conduct in this.'"
(http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/john_remsburg/six_historic_americans/
chapter_4.html) Yes, this is actually from a site for skeptics and atheists!
• Albert Einstein: "In view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my
limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is
no God. But what really makes me angry is that they quote me for the support of
such views."

• Abraham Lincoln: Minister from the north: "hoped the Lord is on our side."
President Lincoln: "I am not at all concerned about that. . . . But it is my constant
anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side."

Speaking of atheism, the following is from a letter I wrote to someone who is an

atheist who lost her children and also does not believe God exists:

I feel great compassion for you and your circumstances. There seems to be no
comfort when one loses a child. But one great story in the Bible provides tremendous
joy and hope, when David's son dies, he says, "I shall go to him, but he shall not
return to me.” (2 Samuel 12:23) This line alone tells me of the promise of being
reunited with our children in heaven.

God does not override free will and people choose to commit sin. No one knows why
these things happen, but "...we know that all things work together for good to them
that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)
Therefore, there must be some greater plan. These sins against innocent babies and
children will not be unpunished, we just can't see past the here and now. There is
perfect justice. We all must endure suffering in these fleshly bodies. We must
experience pain in order to understand the ecstasy of pleasure. We must know
darkness in order to see how brightly light shines. We must go through trials in order
to overcome them and become stronger. God does not make us suffer, it is sin -
humans choosing to do evil - that causes suffering.

Regarding Christians behaving badly, reason and logic dictate that one cannot judge
an entire group of people based on the actions of a few. Certainly nobody is perfect,
and Christians are people! Many egregious sins have been committed against
humanity in the name of Jesus Christ, but none of which He would have wanted
attributed to Him! When one reads the Bible, it is clear what we are supposed to do -
the problem is, that since we are human, we simply cannot live up to these
expectations. That is why Jesus died to atone for our sins. We cannot be perfect
enough for God on our own. God is love and sent His son to die for us while we were
still sinners. This is a loving God. Who else would willingly sacrifice their own child
to save someone else?

There are several other ideas I hope you don't mind me weighing in on: about the
people in the Bible, when the Bible traces the lineage of Jesus, it is only concerned
with the line that leads to Him, as He is our Lord and Savior. The Bible omits
unnecessary information and only focuses on what matters in relationship to Jesus.
Yes, at the beginning, siblings did have to reproduce, but at that time the blood line
was pure and would not have lead to the kind of defects that occur today. We are
judging at the past by what we see now, and that simply does not fit.

Also, no one in the history of the world has done more for the advancement of
women than Jesus Christ. In the Jewish culture during Jesus' time, a man would not
have spoken to the woman at the well. He did, which surprised her and His disciples.
He allowed women to touch Him and He also touched them, which was not accepted
in the culture. He accepted prostitutes and adulteresses when no one else cared about
them. He had many followers who were women, and close friends as well. He also
appeared to the women first after He resurrected from the dead. He respected women
and told men to love their wives. He encouraged women to serve in ministry and be
witnesses to Him. The Bible tells of many important women who were instrumental
in a myriad of ways: Esther, Ruth, Elizabeth, Mary, Rahab, Hannah, etc.

Homophobic means that one fears homosexuals. The Bible neither fears nor hates
homosexuals. It is precisely because God loves all people that He considers
homosexuality an abomination. Just look at all the conflict and chaos in a
homosexual's life. He wants to spare people of this grief and pain. He NEVER judges
people for choosing a homosexual lifestyle, he accepts ALL who repent of their sin,
no matter what they did before they accepted Christ. God loves sinners and is
unwilling that any should perish! That is why He sent Jesus as the payment for the
 debt of their sins. That is why we need to accept Him so that we have God come into
our lives.

When thoroughly researched, it is clear that the Bible is the inspired Word of God.
No other religious text can stand up to time and scrutiny like the Bible. The Bible is a
time-tested revelation of the truth of God. Its prophecies have predicted major events
in history, sometimes centuries before they occurred. It also details what will happen
at the end of the world and if one reads this, he or she shall see that many of these
details are also quite clearly coming true right now. The Case for Christ, by Lee
Strobel, is a good resource to counter many of the arguments Atheists give.

Of course people are free to choose what they believe in, but they are responsible for
the consequences of their decisions. Once someone hears the Good News of the
Gospel, they are made aware of the existence of God and His son, our Savior Jesus
Christ. The Bible says, " 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other
name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10-12)

God wants people to seek Him. It’s natural to feel confused because of all the choices
in religion, but all the Christian needs is the Bible to instruct him or her in God’s
ways. No “religion” is necessary – no rules, no requirements, no interpreters or
translators. The Bible is written in every day casual, easy-to-understand language and
gives help in any situation.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share my thoughts.

posted by divinspiration @ 8:23 PM

Cults and Religions Versus Christianity

Mormonism is a cult. You can look up "cult signs" or "cult characteristics" on Google to
find out what differentiates a cult from a religion.

I have colleagues who believe they are Christian. I listen to them discuss their views, but
when it comes to calling themselves Christian, I have to interject and clarify. One
Jehovah's Witness said, "We believe in Jesus." However, they (like Mormons) do not
believe that He is the only begotten Son of the Almighty God and they do not worship
Him. I told the guy that even Satan believes in Jesus, but Satan does not worship Him or
follow His Word.

Mormons believe that God had sex with Mary, thus negating a central belief of Christians
in the Virgin Birth. They also believe that God the Father is superior to Jesus Christ and
the Holy Spirit, three separate entities that work together, although Christians believe
they are one and equal. Mormons DO NOT worship Jesus, the Son of God.

From: http://www.geocities.com/swickersc/mormonjesus.html

Jehovah's Witnesses, on the other hand, did worship Jesus at the beginning of their man-
made religion, but then they changed their views. They no longer worship Jesus. Because
they invented their own religion, they have to keep changing it to keep up with the times.
http://afgen.com/worship.html

Two good reasons to be a Bible-believing Christian are:

• The God of the Bible does not change. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today,
and forever" Hebrews 13:8 NKJV

• and 2. The Bible is absolutely true, based on 100% accurate fulfilled prophecies.
Read more at http://www.allaboutthejourney.org/bible-prophecies-
fulfilled.htm

The Bible tells us that Jesus is the ONLY way to heaven.

• "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
Me." John 14:6 (NKJV)

• "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given
among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
 Mormons and JWs are generally loving, kind, pious individuals who care deeply
for their faiths. However, they need to know they are being misled in man-made
false religions. Because they are both cults, followers do not even realize they are
being brainwashed. It is difficult to leave these religions because of the emphasis
placed on community.

But if you have questions, please research the truth online or read a Bible like the
King James or New King James version, or some other version that has withstood
the test of time. There are also support groups available online and many
resources for people who need help leaving one of these, or other, false religions.

God Bless!

posted by divinspiration @ 8:21 PM

Would You Ignore the Evidence?

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are
being saved it is the power of God." 1 Cor. 1:18.

If there is indisputable evidence presented to you, would you still not believe?

As an English teacher myself, I defer to the evidence of what is actually written in the
Bible. I challenge you, after reading the Bible in its entirety, to refute any portion of it.
Once you see the consistency of every detail, the repetition of the theme of God's love
over the course of hundreds of years, across languages and cultures and various
geographic locations, the beauty and power of its literary grandeur, the perfect harmony
with which the events are in accord with history, the veracity of the Bible cannot be
denied. What other "historical document" or "piece of literature" has endured, influenced
so many, inspired so much, been so quoted and so widely read as the Bible?

The origins of the Bible are stated within the Bible. At first you may think it sounds like
circular logic, but think about it. The authors say "thus saith the Lord." Blasphemy and
falsely prophesying were crimes that would receive a penalty of death, so anyone who
was claiming to be speaking for God needed to prove it or they would be killed.

The prophecies were not twisted - they were detailed and precise, giving the exact names,
places, and events. The Dead Sea Scrolls proved the accuracy of all the translations of the
Bible and though you are right that some differed on minor grammatical and style points,
none of the many translations departed significantly from the ancient text. What other
"historical document" can boast the reverence and care with which the Bible has been
passed down?

As you are aware, authorship can be inferred by writing technique. Many of the gospels
are attributed to various people within their texts and others are implied.

Even Judas never renounced his faith. You are correct - both he and Peter betrayed
Christ. Peter repented, Judas did not, although he did try to give back the money he had
been paid. Judas hung himself after betraying Jesus because of what he had done. But the
Bible predicted that this would happen, and even Jesus himself stated that it would occur.

It does not appear that you have researched your statements, as the Qu'ran does not
contain the same historicity as the Bible. It does not even acknowledge that Jesus (the son
of God) was crucified, which even documents outside of Christianity prove:

• "First, the "letter of Mara Bar-Serapion" (c. 73 AD), housed in the British
Museum, asks of Jesus’ crucifixion: "What advantage did the Jews gain from
executing their wise King?"
• Second, the third-century Julius Africanus (c. 221 AD) reports that the first-
century historian Thallus says that "when discussing the darkness which fell upon
the land during the crucifixion of Christ," it was an eclipse.
• Third, the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus (c. 55-117 AD) wrote: "a wise man
who was called Jesus . . . Pilate condemned him to be condemned and to die."
Tacitus also notes that the disciples of Jesus "reported that he had appeared to
them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive."
• Fourth, Josephus (c. 37-100 AD) the Jewish historian wrote: "Pilate, at the
suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him [Jesus] to the
cross (18.3).
• Fifth, the second-century Greek satirist Lucian (born c. 120), who traveled widely
in the eastern Mediterranean world where Israel is located, in his On the Death of
Peregrine, speaks of Christ "[A]s the man who was crucified in Palestine because
he introduced a new cult into the world," also calling him a "crucified sophist."
• Sixth, the Roman author Phlegon, freedman of the Emperor Hadrian (who reigned
117-38 AD) never doubted that Jesus was crucified: "Jesus, while alive, was of no
assistance to himself, but that he arose after death and exhibited the marks of his
punishment, and showed how his hands had been pierced by nails."
• Seventh, even the Talmud does not deny the death of Jesus (his divinity is another
matter): "on the eve of Passover they hanged Yeshu (of Nazareth)" . . . .
(Sanhedrin 43a, "Eve of Passover").

Therefore, in light of all this extra-Biblical evidence—quite apart from its

theological interpretation—the historical fact of the crucifixion is verified, and the
much-later Quran, to speak plainly, is wrong on this matter. This should surprise
no one, for Muhammad never conducted historical research."
(http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/Arlandson/odd_claims.htm)

If Jesus was not God, why would so many outside sources relate His crucifixion
and resurrection? What would be any other reason to preserve this historical fact?
Frankly, if Jesus was not God, who cares if he died?

Also, because of the discrepancies in the Qu'ran, it cannot be accurately

reconstructed from outside sources.

"Starting with the Qur'an, it is reasonable to conclude that these findings indeed
give us reason for pause concerning its reliability. Manuscript, as well as
documentary and archaeological evidence indicates that much of what the Qur'an
maintains does not coincide with the historical data at our disposal which comes
from that period. From the material amassed from external sources in the7th-8th
 centuries, we now know:

1) that the Jews still retained a relationship with the Arabs until at least 640 A.D.;

2) that Jerusalem and not Mecca was more-than-likely the city which contained
the original sanctuary for Islam, as Mecca was not only unknown as a viable city
until the end of the seventh century, but it was not even on the international trade
route;

3) that the Qibla (direction of prayer) was not fixed towards Mecca until the
eighth century, but to an area much further north, possibly Jerusalem;

4) that the Dome of the Rock situated in Jerusalem was possibly the original
sanctuary;

5) that Muhammad was not known as the seal of prophets until the late seventh
century;

6) that the earliest we even hear of any Qur'an is not until the mid-eighth century;

7) and that the earliest Qur'anic writings do not coincide with the current Qur'anic
text." (http://www.debate.org.uk/topics/history/bib-qur/conclu.htm)

Regarding translations, *commentaries* may provide widely varying interpretations

but translations from the original sources do not vary significantly.

I will be happy to look at any source you provide that "proves" that translations have
been "way off the mark." This simply is not true. The Bible is a cohesive story from
beginning to end with complete literary balance, including foreshadowing and
fulfillment of prophecies through Jesus Christ. Here are a few:

Jesus' death on the cross was prophesied to the smallest detail.

 • Isaiah 53 spoke of His sacrificial death paying the price for the sins of all.
• Psalm 109:25 tells that He would be mocked by those who watched.
• Psalm 34:20 records the miracle that would happen when none of His bones
were broken.
• Psalm 22:18 says that people would gamble for possession of His clothing.
• Psalm 31:5 contains the words that Jesus said when He committed His spirit
into His Father's hands.
• Isaiah 53:12 says that He would plead for the forgiveness of those who
persecuted Him.
• Amos 8:9 records the darkness that would follow the death of the Messiah.

To find evidence that Jesus fulfilled all of these prophecies, read the gospel accounts
of His life and death.

As I said, there are over 400 prophecies that Jesus perfectly fulfilled. This evidence of
His Lordship is indisputable. If you have never turned your life over to Him, He is
anxiously awaiting the day that you look to Him for salvation. The Bible says that
every person is a sinner and in need of forgiveness in order to have eternal life in
heaven with Jesus. All you need to do is to go to the Lord in prayer, admit that you
are a sinner and desire His forgiveness to cleanse your heart and life. Jesus promises,
in His Word, that He will answer that prayer immediately. Then you can begin to
walk with the Lord daily through prayer and Bible study. God bless you as you begin
your walk with Him." (http://www.raptureready.com/faq/faq195.html)

If God did not exist, then what would be our lives' purpose? What would be the point
of doing good if we are all destined to die? We should then live for pleasure and for
ourselves, to make names for ourselves, to go out to conquer, to murder, to take what
we deserve. What value would there be in self-control or morality? What standard
would we even base right and wrong upon? Morality would be subjective and
therefore, who could judge another's actions? Child molestation and rape could be
argued to be justifiable.

If this is all there is, why subject children to such a fate? The purpose of children
would only be to preserve our genes in a contest of the fittest. According to this logic,
we should therefore exterminate all who are not fit to live or reproduce, for what
purpose would the elderly, handicapped, blind, deaf, mentally challenged then serve?

If the Bible was not true and was simply written to make people submit in obeisance
to authority, why would it have so many controversial ideas that challenge the goal of
government and society?

Is anyone you know actually happy and content with life without God? I would
venture to say that anyone living without God is living an intolerable and cruel
existence. Wouldn't such individuals be angry, hopeless, and pessimistic?

Atheists' lives all seem to be colored in a gray tint, the dismal realization that life does
not matter. Alcoholism, sexual excess, self-harm are all indicators that a person is not
satisfied with life. He or she is struggling and searching and attempting to fill a
gaping hole that can be filled with none other than Jesus Christ.

We are all evil at heart, the Bible tells us this: "The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the
reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his
doings." Jeremiah 17:9-10. How do atheists reconcile this idea? Christians know that
the only way to reconcile this is through the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. He was
the perfect lamb that atoned for all of our sins. Because of our nature, we can never
live an upright life that would please God. We sin nearly every minute of every day!
How could life without God be fulfilling in any way? I wish you all the best in your
search for happiness, and hope that you come soon to Jesus before it is too late. God
has warned us of the judgment and if we choose to ignore His message, it is at our
own peril.

"5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is
light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him,
and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the
light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus
 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we
have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."
(1 John 1:5-10)
Labels: agnostic, apologetic, argument, athesist, belief, believe, Bible, Christianity,
debate, faith, Jesus Christ, Messiah, reasons, Savior, trust, why

posted by divinspiration @ 8:19 PM