Introduction
Those who reject the Christian faith often do so because they say they have unanswered questions. They thus put Christians on defensive, challenging them to defend what they believe.
Now, Christians should be able to “give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you,” and they should respond “with meekness and fear [respect]” (1 Peter 3:15).
On the other hand, many – perhaps most – of those who do not accept the teachings of the Bible have never given good answers to a whole host of questions. In other words, they have not yet adequately defended their reasons for unbelief.
Actually, no one is a true unbeliever. We all believe in something, though skeptics often say they don’t.
To help both Christians and non-Christians think through their faith, the following questions have been prepared. Most come as a response to some statement or question often heard on the lips of those who challenge the truth of Christianity.
The existence of God
“I can’t believe in a God whom I can’t see.”
Does that mean that you can’t believe in anything or anyone that you haven’t seen?
Have you ever seen Julius Caesar (the First Emperor of China; Alexander the Great; etc.)? Do you believe he existed? Why?
Have you ever seen an atom? An electron? A proton? Do you believe they exist? Why?
So, would you say that you can believe in some things or some people that you have never personally seen?
“No really intelligent person believes in God. That is only for superstitious people.”
How do you define intelligence?
Does earning a Ph.D. or an M.D. qualify as a mark of intelligence?
Are you aware that many hundreds of thousands – even millions – of people with doctoral degrees believe in God? (Examples abound. Dr. Everett Koop, former Surgeon General of the U.S.A.; Dr. Carl Henry, who earned two Ph.D’s and edited or authored many books on philosophy, science, and theology; etc.)
So, would you say that at least some intelligent people have believed in God?
“Science has disproved the existence of God.”
Really? What experiment, or series of experiments, proved that God does not exist? Would you kindly tell me in which journal these findings have been published?
By the way, what is the definition of science? (Reminder: It is a method of discovery that relies on many repeatable experiments under controlled conditions and that focuses on phenomena found in the world today.)
By that definition, is God – who is, by definition, a spiritual being – someone or something that science can study?
“I don’t believe in God because I don’t need faith in God to do my work (in the laboratory, shop, kitchen, etc.).”
Does that mean that if you don’t need something for a particular activity, it doesn’t exist?
For example: You don’t need toothpaste to lubricate your car. Does that mean that tooth paste does not exist?
The Bible
“I can’t believe in the Bible. It has too many contradictions.”
How many? Where are they found? Name five.
Are you aware that most of the “contradictions” in the Bible can be, and have been, adequately explained to be merely apparent contradictions? (See Gleason Archer’s Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties.)
Are you aware that the remaining contradictions amount to less than one-tenth of one percent of the content of the Bible?
Do you know what degree of “certainty” scientists require of their hypotheses? (Reminder: 95-98%; 95% is considered sufficient to constitute “proof.”)
If the “contradictions” of the Bible amount to no more than 1% - at the very most – then does that not place the rest of the Bible well within the range accepted by scientists for their findings?
“I can’t believe the Bible, because there are so many errors and mistakes in it.”
How many? Where are they? Name five.
Are you aware that, in the past 100 years of archaeological research, most of the previously-alleged “mistakes” of the Bible have been found not to be mistakes at all?
Are you aware the many prominent archaeologists claim that no statement of the Bible has ever been falsified by their discoveries? Example: William F. Albright.
Do you know of any book, other than a mathematical textbook, that has no mistakes?
Are you aware of the fact that most textbooks on biology are filled with major mistakes? (See Icons of Evolution for a good list.)
“I can’t believe the Bible, because science has contradicted it.”
Which part of the Bible has science contradicted?
“Science has shown that the world was evolved, not created.”
As we saw above, science deals with matters which can be studied by repeated experiments under controlled conditions. Which experiments have been done on the beginning of the world? In which journal have these studies been reported?
Are you aware that evolution (defined as macro-evolution, the theory that all of life began from an extremely simple organism which has developed into all the varieties of living things we see today) is only a theory, not a law?
May I ask a few more questions about the theory of evolution?
Where does life come from?
Where does the information in each cell come from?
How do you explain the orderly complexity of this world?
Have you read any of the following books: Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, by Michael Denton; Darwin’s Black Box, by Michael Behe; Darwin on Trial, by Philip Johnson; Intelligent Design, by Dembski?
Are you aware that many prominent scientists are abandoning evolutionism because of the lack of proof for it?
Are you aware that all of the major supposed examples of evolution found in textbooks and museums are false? (See Icons of Evolution for the full story.)
Relativism
“All religions are essentially the same.”
“There is no one true religion.”
“There is no absolute truth.”
Are you absolutely sure of that?
How do you know?
The Problem of Evil
“I can’t believe in a God who would allow evil to happen in the world.”
Where do you get your idea of God?
If you are talking about the God of the Bible, then I assume you are saying that you don’t see how a God who is all-powerful and all-good would allow evil in his world. That same problem has troubled many people, so you are not alone. Sometimes it is stated this way: Why do bad things happen to good people?
A few questions:
Are you aware that no religion or philosophy has ever “solved” this problem?
Are you aware that the Bible does not claim to answer this question?
Is it possible that, if there is a God, he has chosen not to give us answers to all our questions?
Are you aware that there are other questions of similar importance that come from the Bible? Examples: Why do good things happen to bad people?
If there is a God, would he have the right to punish those who disobey him?