Evidence for God to Answer Challenges Archives - Page 2 of 31

October 9, 2024October 8, 2024

Unhealthy Foods and God

Skeptics challenge that the Christian system allowed unhealthy foods that would not be condoned or promoted by an all-wise God. The Bible passage referred to is Acts 10:9-15 where Peter has a vision and is told to eat any meat, including animals that had been forbidden to the Jews. When Peter objects, a voice says, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

We must take the Bible literally. We must look at who said what is in the passage, to whom it was said, why it was said, and how the people who heard it would have understood it. In this case, God’s message for Peter is clear if you read the rest of the chapter and on into chapter 11. This event was not about eating unhealthy foods but about taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people, not just the Jews.

Another method of understanding the meaning of a passage is to compare it to the rest of the Bible. You don’t have to be a scholar to know that the Bible cannot contradict itself. The New Testament has many statements that show it is not a book about eating. For example, in Matthew 15:17-20, Jesus says that what you eat doesn’t defile you, but rather what you think. In 1 Corinthians 10:27-32, Paul tells the Christians not to worry about what foods they can eat but rather be concerned about offending others and driving them away from Christ. In Romans 14, Paul tells Christians that the Church is “not about meat and drink” and then talks about not offending others.

This does not mean the Bible doesn’t care about unhealthy foods and practices. In Acts 15:19-20 the Church was told to avoid drinking blood or meat secured by strangling. However, even in that passage, the message was not about food. In Jesus’ time, having meat to eat was rare, and grains, fruit, and fish were the primary food sources. Also, life expectancy was short due to a lack of hygiene, the spreading of disease by immoral choices, and the lack of modern medicine.

God is not the cause of the often unhealthy foods we place in our diets today. Christian morality and attention to our health and the needs of others testify to the validity of the Christian system as taught in the New Testament.

October 7, 2024October 6, 2024

Hostility Toward Christianity

We recently received a very hostile phone call from a person who went so far as to threaten us. This has happened many times in the past, and the hostility toward Christianity is excellent evidence for its validity. “So you think you are the only people going to heaven?” is a misguided challenge we get in response to the messages we post on this site.

Skeptics frequently refer to the Crusades and the horrible violence that people who called themselves Christians have done against those who were not Christians. Their actions violate what Jesus taught and contradict what those who follow the Bible do in relationship to others. Please do not confuse the misguided teachings of the past with what the Bible tells Christians to do. The Crusades violated everything Jesus taught, as did the inquisitions.

Jesus told His followers in Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” This concept is repeated over and over in the New Testament. Judging is up to God, and the New Testament commands Christians to be peacemakers. Acts 2:47 tells us that the first-century Christians “had favor with ALL the people.” At the same time, it is essential to understand that Jesus told His followers they could recognize false religions and their teachings by their results. (See Matthew 7:16-20 and John 15:2-16).

It’s a fact of life that we have to make judgments every day. As we look at world religions, we see the results of their teaching. We must ask, “What are the results of following the teachings of those religious systems?” We can read the historical results and see them in the news today. The hostility toward Christianity and the very fact that our ministry is attacked is an indication of the violence and destructive nature of most world religions. Over the history of humanity, religion has caused a considerable number of wars, and it continues to do so today. Biblical Christianity (not human creeds) teaches the opposite of all this, but other religions and religious leaders reject the Bible’s teachings.

As we analyze each religious system, we must question the hostility toward Christianity. How many hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages, educational institutions, etc., have resulted from the beliefs of each religious system? You can kill me, but you cannot destroy the good that Christianity has brought to the world. If men and women study the evidence, they will see that religious systems are not all the same. This ministry is dedicated to providing evidence, but if someone rejects it, that is their prerogative. They will have to answer, as will we, to the perfect judge who created the cosmos and us.

October 4, 2024October 1, 2024

To Understand the Godhead

Both believers and skeptics ask the question, “What is the godhead?” While I don’t pretend to understand the Godhead, I have spent years trying to explain it.

Passages like John 14:26 bother a lot of folks. That passage has Jesus saying, “But the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, who the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” The word “godhead” is found three times in the King James version of the New Testament, each time translating a different Greek word. In Acts 17:29 (theios), Paul was talking to the philosophers in Athens. Romans 1:20 (theiotes) deals with evidence for God’s existence. Colossians 2:9 (theotes) was dealing with philosophy and human deceit.

An analogy that may help us understand the Godhead is that humans have three parts that makeup one individual. We all have intellect, which allows us to be creative and have ideas of a spiritual nature. God’s intellect is seen in the creation and design we see all around us.

We all have a personality that allows us to express our spiritual nature and to love in a way that is not just survival. Jesus taught His followers to be known by their love (See John 13:34-35) and demonstrated it in His life. He used the Greek word “agape” and referred to caring about all of humanity – even our enemies.

We all have spirit, which is the action that we do, and the Bible consistently uses that word with a verb. (“The Spirit MOVED upon the face of the waters.” “He will TEACH you.” My spirit will not always “STRIVE” with man.) We are all just one individual, but we all have intellect, personality, and spirit.

When the disciples questioned how they could see God, Jesus gave an answer that involved one part of the Godhead while referencing the other parts. (See John 14:9-10.) John 1:1 and 1:14 and 1 Timothy 3:16 show that Jesus was God in the flesh. It is impossible for us to understand the Godhead. St. Augustine wrote, “If you understand God, what you understand isn’t God.” J.B. Phillips wrote a book titled “Your God is Too Small,” in which he pointed out how the human mind limits God.

We humans will never understand everything there is to know about God, creation, or God’s purpose in creating us, but we can understand enough to make our lives meaningful and productive.

September 20, 2024September 17, 2024

Understanding the Relationship Between Science and Faith

Many people have bought into the belief that science has the answer to every question humans can ask. The idea promoted by the media and various organizations is that science is the only answer to all human problems. Some of humanity’s major problems today are caused by not understanding the relationship between science and faith.

Science can’t show us how to cope with personal challenges caused by Alzheimer’s, dementia, paralysis, brain damage, or mental illness. Theology and faith can provide essential answers when facing life’s challenges. The dictionary defines theology as the study of the nature of God and religious belief.

In the September 2024 issue of the Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation, James C. Peterson made the following comment that we believe is essential for understanding the relationship between science and faith:

“Theology serves science well when it reminds science that science is very good at what it does but only at what it does. There is no scientific basis for claiming that science is the sole way to apprehend reality. Such is the ideology of scientism, not science. Science seeks to recognize causal connections between material entities. It does not have the tools or expertise to do else, even to pronounce that it is a good thing to study science! Much that is real is not accessible to scientific verification.”

Peterson goes on to say that apparent contradictions and anomalies are important opportunities to better understand what is true.

We recently received a letter from a man who stated that prayer was useless and something he would no longer do. This is a classic example of not understanding what prayer is for, what it does, and how it helps us. He said he did not want to pray because when he prayed for there to be no rain, it didn’t do any good. It rained anyway. I asked him what he would expect God to do when one person prayed for no rain while a farmer prayed for rain.

Understanding the relationship between science and faith and what theology really means is essential for atheists and religious people. Peterson explains this relationship well.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith September 2024

September 9, 2024September 8, 2024

False Stories Travel Faster than the Truth

A study of 126,000 stories spread on Twitter by around three million people from 2006 to 2017 showed that false stories travel faster and reach more people than the truth. That is not new, and it’s true in every aspect of our lives. In 1710, Jonathan Swift wrote, “Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it …”

During my 41 years of teaching science in public schools, I always told my students, “Don’t believe something just because I say it. If I can’t show you solid evidence, then just regard it as one person’s opinion.” That didn’t endear me to the other faculty members in my school, but it led to much discussion and activity in my classes.

False stories travel faster than the truth, and it is easier for people to latch on to misinformation. Why is that? Here are some reasons psychologists give:

(1) Our default setting is to believe what others say. Psychologists refer to this as “truth bias.”
(2) Repetition breeds belief. When people hear something repeatedly, they remember it and begin to believe it, even if it is implausible.
(3) Vivid stories and images remain in our memories and influence our thinking.
4) People buy into things that confirm their beliefs, whether true or not.
5) We tend to be around like-minded people who reinforce our thinking, while we mistrust those with whom we disagree.

All of these factors are true in today’s world. False stories travel faster, and when trying to debunk false information that someone believes, begin with kindness and respect for the person’s view. Peter wrote that we must always be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…” Did Jesus Christ confront misinformation, and did He have a way to overcome it? The answer to both of these questions is “yes.” He confronted doubt with proof. The entire “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5-7 is saturated with instructions to His followers on how to live out the truth of their faith.

Rather than arguing with unbelievers, we need to show them the truth of Christianity by how we live and what we do. The Church needs to use the same techniques I used in teaching science. Show people what is true, not because “I say so,” but with kindness and respect show the evidence. Then, live out your faith so others can see Jesus in you.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
References: “Lies spread faster than the truth” in the journal Science vol. 359, no. 6380, pages 1146-1151, and the textbook Exploring Psychology, 13th edition.

September 5, 2024September 4, 2024

“Aliens Are Controlling Earth’s History”

When this ministry began in 1968, one of the first things we ran into was a host of claims that aliens are controlling Earth’s history and its people. Science fiction writers claimed the Tunguska event of 1908, in which a meteorite exploded in the atmosphere above Earth’s surface, was the crash of an alien spaceship. In 1968, a Danish bartender named Erich von Daniken published a book titled Chariots of the Gods, claiming that aliens precipitated the advance of some civilizations and that accomplished human genetic advancement. Writer Charles Berlitz claimed that the Bermuda Triangle was an alien spaceport and the underwater city of Atlantis where aliens destroyed any trespassers.

In our various publications, we have shown that scientific evidence easily explains these things without alien involvement. Despite the evidence and scientific facts, we continue to see a flood of material suggesting that aliens are controlling Earth’s history. An “Ancient Alien” television series offers alien explanations of many things, including Albert Einstein’s work. Chariots of the Gods was made into a movie. Hollywood has not missed the opportunity to exploit the alien nonsense and draw an audience from people unaware of the evidence.

As you might expect, skeptics of Christianity have used the alien hypothesis to explain biblical stories. Some even claim that Jesus Christ was an alien who came to change the direction of human culture. Biblical stories of everything from Adam and Eve to Noah have been attributed to alien involvement in human affairs. People who say that aliens are controlling Earth’s history have criticized our archaeological material, such as the “Beyond Reasonable Doubt” video series.

The fact is that Jesus Christ lived, the Bible is the Word of God, and aliens are not involved in human history. If there are other civilizations on other planets in other galaxies, we will probably never know about them because they are so f ar away. Science fiction can create fantasies, but Christ is real and can help you with your struggles in life.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: space.com

August 16, 2024August 14, 2024

Inconsistency of Well-Educated Skeptics

It has become fashionable in the media to bash the Bible, but the inconsistency of well-educated skeptics who denigrate the Bible as a fictitious writing does not stand up. This essay is not about bashing skeptics but about encouraging them to reconsider their views on the credibility of the Bible.

Most skeptics do not question the credibility of Plato’s writings, but how many ancient copies do we have of Plato’s work? The answer is seven. No educated scholar would question the works of Pliny even though, once again, only seven copies exist. Herodotus and Suetonius are required reading in most universities, but we have only eight manuscripts for each. Even Socrates and Aristotle exist in less than 50 ancient copies. It is easy to understand why this is the case because these manuscripts were hand-written and produced hundreds of years after the author lived. We agree that these copies are valid and that their message is clear.

In comparison, roughly 5600 early New Testament copies and fragments are in museums worldwide. Well-known ancient scholars also quoted from the New Testament. Justin Martyr quotes 268 times from the gospels and 43 times from the letters of Paul. Origen quotes 9231 times from the gospels, 349 times from Acts, and over 8,000 times from the letters. If you add up all the Bible quotes known to scholars, there are 19,369 quotes from the gospels, 1,352 from the book of Acts, 14,905 from the letters, and 664 from the book of Revelation. This adds up to 36,289 quotes by ancient writers.

We see the amazing inconsistency of well-educated skeptics accepting writings with only seven or eight ancient copies while rejecting biblical manuscripts of similar ages with over 35,000 quotes. Because of the huge number of manuscripts and quotes available, we can check on the integrity of biblic a l translations. Attempting to justify rejecting Christ because you don’t want to live as He says is one thing, but being dishonest and inconsistent with evidence is something else.

We warmly invite you to take our free correspondence course “Beyond Reasonable Doubt.” Simply send us your USPS address, and we will send you lesson # 1. This is an opportunity for you to delve deeper into the evidence supporting the Bible’s credibility and reconsider any doubts you may have. – John N. Clayton
jncdge@aol.com
Does God Exist?
1555 Echo Valley Drive
Niles MI 49120

August 15, 2024August 14, 2024

UAP Sightings

The scientific community has rejected UFOs, but in their place, we have “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena” or UAPs. From 2001 to 2020, people reported almost 99,000 UAP sightings. A huge percentage of these reports are easily explained. They include drones, satellites, balloons, the planet Venus, vapor from unspent fuel released from a SpaceX rocket, airborne trash, military aircraft, and even flocks of migrating birds.

Nearly every day, we get a letter or email from someone who claims that aliens control Earth’s history. Suggesting that Jesus Christ was an alien is just a way of discounting the Bible and the whole concept of the spiritual world. However, some skeptics claim the UAP sightings prove this rather foolish viewpoint.

It is essential to understand that the Bible does not say Earth is the only place where God created life, and life’s complexity makes it extremely difficult to attribute it to chance. Some have gone to extremes to claim other forms of life could exist on other worlds, but life is typically defined as carbon-based life with oxygen and water. UAP sightings have not given evidence of any alien life.

The Bible gives Christians a purpose in life, and all other views offer no real purpose for existing. Atheists attempt to bypass this problem by denying that evil exists, but reality shows that to be false. We urge everyone to look at the evidence and form their life around the same truth that Thomas finally came to when Jesus said to him, “Reach your finger here and behold my hands, and reach your hand here and thrust it into my side and be not faithless but believing.” (John 20:27).

For more data and scientific discussions of UAPs, see Science News for August 10, 2024, and science.nasa.gov/uap.

August 8, 2024August 7, 2024

Persecution of Christians Today

One of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings is “The Last Supper.” This beautiful painting shows Jesus and His disciples at the Passover meal described in Mathew 26:26-29. While da Vinci’s work might not be theologically perfect, it is a classic work of art. At the 2024 Olympic opening ceremony in Paris, we saw an example of the persecution of Christians today.

The opening ceremony featured boats carrying 6500 athletes down the Seine River. On the banks of the river, 300,000 spectators watched as the ceremony was broadcast worldwide. The boats passed under bridges featuring entertainers from Lady Gaga to Gojira to Marina Viotti. Music groups and dancers ranged from heavy metal to opera.

One of the bridges featured a parody of da Vinci’s great painting with drag queens ridiculing Jesus and the disciples. The French reporter Gabrielle Cluzel wrote, “Since when do we need an excuse to spit on Christians?” This is a part of a global attack on faith by skeptics and atheists. It is interesting that this attack was on Christianity. Why did the Olympic planners not choose Mohammed and his many wives? The answer is obvious – the French were trying to avoid violence. Since the followers of Jesus are supposed to “turn the other cheek,” they figured an attack on Christianity was safer.

In July 2024, our local congregation had a booth at the two-day city fair in Dowagiac, Michigan. I was working the booth on the first day of the fair when a gang of a dozen or so teenagers on bicycles came by our booth. They figured an old man in a church booth was an easy target, and they began a jeering, abusive display ridiculing belief in God. I responded by challenging them to a public debate with a microphone. I offered to show them evidence that God exists and that the Bible is His word. They decided they weren’t ready to publicly debate a retired science teacher.

Those who say there is no perse c ution of Christians today are simply out of touch with what is happening in the world. The Olympic opening ceremony with the drag queens mocking “The Last Supper” demonstrates how wrong they are.

August 7, 2024August 6, 2024

Blaming God for the Problems of Today

People are often blaming God for the problems of today. That shows a misunderstanding of who God is and what He does. In Matthew 24:4-13, Jesus described what we see today. He said, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things will happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom…” The things Jesus described are happening today, and they are caused by humans.

In the Old Testament, God handled rebellion by removing His protective hand from His people. In New Testament times, the events leading to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. were the result of military actions by humans. In today’s world, God is not causing Putin to attack Ukraine or Hamas and Hezbollah to attack Israel. God did not cause COVID. It is unreasonable to expect God to step in to stop human greed and selfishness, and He should not be expected to prevent the results of sexual practices He warned humans not to avoid.

God’s promise to Christians is that eventually, He will do away with all of the consequences of human selfishness and greed. That even includes the pain and suffering we all endure in this physical life. Revelation 21:1-7 pictures this beautifully, describing the creation of the New Heaven and New Earth: “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and He will live with them… He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” It’s time to quit blaming God for the problems of today and turn to Christ to receive the joy of life now and hope for the future.