Christian Apologetics

How much science is needed to believe in a young earth?

In my opinion, God doesn't require us to go into great scientific detail, just to reconcile faith and science.

 

God created Adam as an adult or at least as a youth. Adam could speak, care for the garden and weave. None of these are activities which can be mastered by newborns. This means that Adam had an appearance of several years of age. But no scientist, if present in the Garden without knowing Adam's age beforehand, would have thought that Adam was only one day of age.

 

According to what the Bible teaches, Adam wasn't a baby when he was one day old.

Similarly, the earth being as young as some thousand years might not look young either. So why do we expect scientists to teach a young earth?

Are Dating Methods Flawed?

Many creationists claim that scientific dating methods are flawed.  See  Radiometric Dating | Answers in Genesis However, consider a scientist who might have been present at the Wedding of Cana (John 2:7-10) to determine the actual age of the wine served by Jesus. He might have tested the miraculously tranformed drink and found it to be two years old. Would that scientist using scientific dating methods have been guilty of having used "flawed" dating methods? Any alcoholic drink needs time to ferment. Except this one.
I suggest that we don't challenge scientists. We can both agree with them in that their methods are right and believe in a young creation despite the evidence. All that's needed is just assuming scientists aren't ready yet to spot a miracle performed by God.
So: science yes please, creationism yes please, too.

Why do we expect science to prove God?

If God's existence could be proven by scientists, then educated people would have a spiritual advantage over uneducated people.
However, the Bible says that God shows no partiality:
 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality".
Acts 10:34 KJV.
Nature as a whole proves Goid right, see Romans 1:20. However, science is not the same as nature itself.
So, with nature as a whole as His evidence, why should God provide more than one bit of evidence?
Doesn't nature suffice?

The Theory of Evolution and the Book of Genesis

Noone can disprove God's existence. Even scientists can't. But if a loving God intervenes, it looks like this:

 

He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. Psalms 147:9 KJV

 

The ToE is about survival of the fittest. The Bible, in contrast, writes about survival of the loved ones.

 

If they say they can't disprove God, they can't disprove him helping hungry animals either. If He does, the Theory of Evolution would be wrong in its entirety regardless of how well supported by facts it may be.

Perhaps God simply doesn't leave evidence behind every single time he helps an animal survive. Why should he?

 

Did God work or not?

Furthermore, God said he worked creating the animals. That's why we should work six days in a row, too. However, atheists claim that animals simply evolve and God did not create even one animal seperately. This is what the Theory of the Last Universal Common Ancestor teaches. There's only one universal common ancestor for all animals, according to the theory, and the rest simply evolved from that one. So, according to that theory, God basically could not have worked.

 

 

Christians getting aggressive

Homophobia is a good example for this. So often, I hear Christians say LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, queer) people were mentally ill. I never saw them provide evidence to back this allegation up. In contrast, neither Bible nor science go as far as to declare someone ill just because of their sexual orientation.

However, declaring someone ill without providing the proof for it... is disrespectful behavior, I think.

 

Christians accusing scientists of deliberately altering their findings in order to not agree with creationist ideas is another example. This accusation never is accompanied by proof, as far as I know.

 

 

"Turn or Burn" - is this how we should evangelize?

Some apologists threaten hell to doubters if they dare to not repent when thea are told to do so. This "turn-or-burn" approach isn't my understanding of the gospel.

In answering a doubter, Jesus said (Mt 11:4) "the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them." I think that a message has to be somehow good in order to fit the gospel. Like this verse is, for example. And Jesus had many good news to offer: lame people walking among others. Moreover, simple calls to repentance seem to omit that becoming a Christian is an act of sheer grace. Let's dicuss some doubts first, I propose. As long as questions within the doubter's heart are still awaiting an answer, leave the hell thing out.

 

 

Universalism: All people in heaven

I'm against all forms of teachings saying that, after a limited time of punishment, everyone will be sent to eternal life. Even if God is good... I want safety in my afterlife. If God is merciful with me, he will grant it. But safety means those people threatening others stay away. In the new Jerusalem, people doing harm to others won't be let in (Rev 21:27): And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Judgement should be left to Jesus, cause he's in charge of it. Before he's even spoken the first words of judgement, we shouldn't rule out that there are people suffering eternal separation from God, in my opinion.

Too much cruelty within the Old Testament?

Many complain that too much babies die. Innocent babies. I think that God, who has made man, always has the right to take lives. But when the lives of parents are taken... where should their babies go if noone is available to look after them?

 

There are also very human reasons for the Bible to have been written.

Yes, absolutely yes. Strengthening Hebrew identity among others, for instance. In my opinion, the Bible would make great sense without God, too.

However, this doesn't rule out his existence. The so-called exilic prophets certainly had personal motives in their heads when they wrote down what they thought should be written. But again, this doesn't prevent the biblical God from having spoken to them all the time while writing their prophetic texts. God might even have used their thoughts they had because of the exilic situation. Of course they would ask themselves what went wrong. So did God, in my opinion. This means that both God and the exilic prophets had their thoughts in common, I guess, which only fostered their productivity with regard to writing good texts.

 

Bad behavior of Christians keeping people off

Sometimes Christians just don't have the personnel to solve complicated questions, so they seek a "quick and dirty"-solution. This is at least my personal experience. These solutions can start to hurt a person involved a lot. When doubts arise answers sometimes tend to be quick and dirty again, and the image of Christianity detioriorates (this is at least my impression).

Example. A Christian insults a non-believer. Other Christians see it but don't have the time to intervene. So they let things happen. When questions arise, they again don't have the time resources to go into great detail so they choose "Satan governs" or some other cheap excuse...

 

A deadlock for God

If God punishes, people call him a sadist.

If He does not, people complain about religious people being too cruel.

So what should he do? He can't satisfy atheist wishes any more than he could create the square triangle in this world, I'm afraid.

If salvation is by faith alone, why doesn't Jesus present himself in person?

He would be murdered probably. Like they did last time.

Even if he would make use of his supernatural powers to prevent himself from getting shot...

coming into an environment in which everyone wants to kill you isn't a nice experience, anyway.

Why did Jesus have to die? Why the cross?

 

Everyone sinned. Jesus offers a ransom for the damage they caused. The ones who accept by faith can share in that ransom. See 1 Cor 6:20.

On the cross, Jesus worked in delivering his body. Very much in the way prostitutes work when they give their body for someone to do something with it. And that's work regardless of how prostitution is seen from a moral standpoint.

However, the Bible is very clear: the ones who work must receive wage. Luke 10:7.

I believe, Jesus received a wage from his father for delivering his body on earth. This wage is what was needed for providing a ransom for everyone who sinned but now believes, I think. God, in turn, uses Jesus's death to comfort all who die for faith.

Evidence for God

Look how beautiful. (See below) There is no evolutional pressure for this landscape to look that beautiful. Even man does not survive any better if they find this landscape beautiful. And yet most people do.

 

There is a good explanation for it: a loving God (entity). All else would require too many assumptions. I prefer the explanation that needs just one assumption.

Image by Manolo Franco from Pixabay 

Is the Bible misogynist?

I don’t think so. The Bible explains that women and men are equal at church: Galatians 3:28.

Nevertheless, Paul wants women to stay silent at service.

My take here: If churches put this into practice they should still treat the woman as equal. It’s up to the women to demand a compensation for it choosing from other privileges restoring equality as prescribed by the Galatians verse. Maybe prophetic service, since the Bible mentions woman prophets such as Hannah from Luke 2:36.

 

Also, Lydia was a woman leader for a house church congregation in the New Testament accepted by Paul.