Skeptic Challenges Archives

December 22, 2023December 19, 2023

Misconceptions About Christmas

Skeptics and atheists frequently attack Christianity by saying that much of what people celebrate at Christmas is either impossible or inaccurate. God coming to Earth would seem impossible if you don’t believe in God or miracles. However, much of the weakness of the skeptic’s arguments is that they attack misconceptions about Christmas.

For example, they criticize the “star of Bethlehem” as impossible. That “star” cannot be a celestial object since the closest star to Earth is Alpha Centauri A, which is 4.3 light years away. Like all celestial stars, it is too far away to stand over a Bethlehem stable. Herod didn’t see the star, and Luke 2:8-15 tells us that angels visited the shepherds but doesn’t mention the star. It had to be an extraordinary miracle of God.

The “wise men” described in Matthew 2:1-2 were “magi from the east,” not kings, and the Bible doesn’t say how many. When they arrived, the Christ child was not in a stable but in a “house” (Matthew 2:11). Atheists and skeptics often challenge misconceptions about Christmas that they see on greeting cards and pictures of the Christmas season rather than what the Bible actually says.

Skeptics also criticize the idea that shepherds were in the fields in late December. The Bible does not record the date of Jesus’ birth, and December is not the time shepherds would have been there. Christmas cards often depict angels with wings and golden harps, but neither of those references is biblical. Christmas songs may also create misconceptions about Christmas. There is no “little drummer boy” in the Bible. While we can enjoy the beauty of Christmas songs, go to the Bible for the facts of Christ’s birth.

December 25 is a great day to enjoy family and declare a rest at the end of the year. However, celebrating Christmas on that day is a human tradition, not a commandment of God. We should honor the incarnation of Christ every day as we look forward to His return.

November 15, 2023November 14, 2023

Tragedies Do Not Disprove God

On Saturday, November 11, U. S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe had a career-ending injury. Only six minutes into the National Women’s Soccer League Championship, Rapinoe tore her Achilles tendon, putting her out of the game. She used the occasion to express her lack of belief in God. The truth is that tragedies do not disprove God.

In the post-match press conference, Rapinoe said, “I’m not a religious person or anything, and if there was a god, like, this is proof that there isn’t.” She then went on to express her feelings in profanity. Rapinoe admitted that she was not a believer before the accident. But I would ask, what does this accident have to do with God’s existence? Tragedies do not disprove God.

When we read the book of Job, we see the tendency of people to think that when something terrible happens, it means that person has done something bad and God is punishing them. The opposite of that is believing that if something good happens to us, we must have done something good to deserve it. Both concepts are false, contrary to Biblical teaching, and illogical.

Jesus clearly said that His followers would suffer for doing good. Paul suffered for presenting the gospel message of love and hope to a world that needed to hear it. James said, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4).

When things go wrong, people often blame God. Some turn away from God, and others turn to God. Turning away from God is turning away from hope. Seeking God in times of trouble brings hope and, as James tells us, develops patience. Tragedies do not disprove God. They have nothing to do with God’s existence, and rejecting God because of disasters provides no hope. Placing our faith in God in difficult times gives us a source of hope and comfort.

Rapinoe expressed her confused perspective when she went on to say, “Thank God I have a (expletive deleted) deep well of a sense of humor.” I believe it takes more than a sense of humor to survive the trials of life. It also takes hope. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:1-2).”

Reference: Fox News

November 13, 2023November 12, 2023

Answering Today’s Challenges

The Church struggles to stay informed and relevant on the issues and answering today’s challenges. In October 2023, the Survey Center on American Life and the Associated Press/NORC released new data revealing the attitudes and beliefs of our friends and neighbors. If the Church is going to lead people to faith in God, we need to know what they believe. Jesus knew the teachings of Judaism and the beliefs of the Romans, and we must follow His example.

Here are some results of the recent surveys:

1) 44% of Americans have “hardly any confidence” in organized religion.

2) 29% of Americans believe evolution is the best explanation for the origin of life on Earth.

3) 38% believe humans and other living things have evolved over time due to processes guided by God or a higher power.

4) 31% believe humans and other living things have evolved over time, and God or a higher power had no role in this process.

5) 12% believe humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.

6) 49% believe scientists generally believe the universe was created in a single, violent event, often called the “Big Bang.”

The problem with surveys is that words like “evolution” are not defined. If “Naturalism” were used instead of “evolution,” the numbers would be different. Confusing “evolution” and “creation” is another source of problems with surveys. Evolution deals with the changes in things already created. It does not attempt to explain the creation of space, time, matter/energy, or anything spiritual.

It is interesting to see surveys like these and compare them to similar ones from past years. You don’t wear a hockey uniform to play baseball, and you can’t reach people today based on what people believed in the 20th century. God’s Word does not change and is a rock-solid guide for life, but young people today are radically different from last century. Answering today’s challenges requires meeting people where they are and not depending on methods that worked in the past.

References: The American Perspectives Survey was conducted between May 16 and 24, 2023. The AP/NORC data was in The Week for October 20, 2023, on page 17.

November 8, 2023November 7, 2023

How the Mpemba Effect Works

Yesterday, I warned of the danger of trying to solve an argument using the scientific method when people want to stick to their preconceived ideas. The argument I referred to was between my family members about whether hot or cold water freezes faster. The truth is that the phenomenon where hot water freezes faster is called the Mpemba effect after an African secondary school student who brought it to the attention of a British physicist. Even though it had been observed since Aristotle’s time, most people didn’t believe it, and nobody seriously attempted to explain how the Mpemba effect works.

Perhaps the reason science ignored the Mpemba effect is because it seems illogical and unreasonable. In 2013, Xi Zhang and colleagues at Nanyang Technical University in Singapore presented a possible solution to how the Mpemba effect works. Water molecules contain one atom of oxygen bonded to two atoms of hydrogen (H₂O). The oxygen atom shares an electron with each hydrogen atom in what is known as covalent bonding.

In addition to the covalent bonding within the water molecules, the separate molecules are held together by hydrogen bonds. Water molecules are polarized, and since water is a liquid, the molecules move around. When a hydrogen atom in one molecule is close to the oxygen atom in another molecule, hydrogen bonds loosely hold them together. Hydrogen bonds explain the surface tension of water, its relatively high boiling point, and how the Mpemba effect works.

As water is heated, the molecules move faster, stretching the hydrogen bonds, causing them to store energy, and allowing the covalent bonds to relax and give up some energy. Covalent bonds giving up energy is equivalent to cooling, allowing the heated water to freeze faster. In a 2017 issue of the Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation, Yunwen Tao and co-authors described using vibrational spectroscopy and modeling to show that hydrogen bonds can explain how the Mpemba effect works.

Other factors can be involved in water freezing to counter the Mpemba effect. Dissolved gases or other impurities, convection currents, evaporation, and even the container can influence the time it takes for water to freeze. The relative initial temperatures and consistency of the water samples are also critical factors.

The bottom line is that the design of water is an essential factor that makes life possible. We have said that before: HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. The fact that hot water can freeze faster than cold is hard to believe, but true. Even harder to believe is that the design of water, the universe, our planet, and life could be accidental, but atheists still argue that those designs all happened by chance. I challenge you to carefully consider where you stand on the existence of a creator God.

References: Gizmodo.com and wikipedia.org

November 7, 2023November 7, 2023

Does Hot or Cold Water Freeze Faster?

As a young boy, I learned not to try to solve family arguments between my elders. My father told my aunt (his sister) that he had heard that hot water freezes faster than cold water. She said that could not be true, and that led to a heated argument between them. I thought this was not something worth arguing about, and I suggested that we test the theory by the scientific method. Does hot or cold water freeze faster?

Thinking I could settle the argument, I suggested we fill one ice-cube tray with hot water and one with cold water, put them both in the freezer and see what happens. This suggestion from a young “whippersnapper” brought down the wrath of both sides. I realized that they didn’t want to know the truth. They just wanted to argue. Perhaps they were both afraid they might be proven wrong. I have since learned that believers and skeptics often fear looking at evidence for that very reason.

So, does hot or cold water freeze faster? The short answer is that it depends. Some famous thinkers, including Aristotle, Francis Bacon, and Rene Descartes, noticed that hot water sometimes froze faster than cold water. But it took a Tanzanian secondary student making ice cream in 1963 to finally bring this question into scientific focus.

Young Eraso Mpemba, along with fellow students at Magamba Secondary School, was making ice cream to earn some money. He was in a hurry, so rather than letting it cool, he put the hot ice cream mix into his freezer. He was surprised that his ice cream froze faster than the colder mix of his fellow students. Mpemba’s teacher and classmates laughed at his claim that the hot mix froze faster.

Later, a noted British physicist named Denis Osborne came to the African school, and Mpemba asked him to explain why hot water freezes faster than cold. Not only did his teacher and classmates think Mpemba’s suggestion was absurd, but the physicist was also skeptical. However, Dr. Osborne was open-minded enough to test it experimentally. (Like I suggested to my father and aunt.) In 1969, when Mpemba was in college, he and Osborne published a paper on the phenomenon, which came to be called the Mpemba effect.

So some people, when asked, “Does hot or cold water freeze faster?” were no longer laughing at the “foolish question.” However, nobody knew how hot water could freeze faster. After all, if the water is already closer to freezing temperature, it should freeze in less time. Shouldn’t it? The truth is that the question does not have a simple answer. In 2013, scientists in Singapore proposed a solution. Tomorrow, we will look at their explanation.

Reference: wikipedia.org

October 31, 2023October 30, 2023

Neanderthals and the Bible

In 1856, workers in Neander Valley near Dusseldorf, Germany, discovered a cave containing human bones that were different from modern humans. Scientists gave those bones the name Neanderthal, which means “Valley of the New Man.” We have written about this before (such as HERE, HERE, and HERE), but how can we reconcile Neanderthals and the Bible?

Since that first discovery, anthropologists have found Neanderthal remains throughout Europe and elsewhere. Neanderthals had large brains, thick bones, and muscle attachments, indicating high strength. The age of these specimens is much greater than any written human communication. They lived a nomadic lifestyle and dwelled in caves and natural shelters. They did not have cities or build sophisticated structures, but recent studies show intelligent behavior, including mastering fire for cooking, controlling animals, and providing warmth.

Genetic studies show that modern humans had Neanderthal ancestors. Some writers claim that Neanderthals were humans physically but had no soul and, thus, no spiritual awareness. That raises the question of how Neanderthals connect with Adam in Genesis 1 and 2. Those who promote theistic evolution say that ape-like hominoids evolved. Then, when these individuals reached a certain level, God infused them with a soul and called them “Adam,” Hebrew for “of the ground.” Some claim that Cain encountered Neanderthals in the area that Cain was banished to in Genesis 4:14 and following.

The point is that rather than deny that Neanderthals existed, we need to realize that there are many possible ways to reconcile Neanderthals and the Bible account of Adam and Eve. As scientists make more discoveries, the picture may become more evident. Meanwhile, we know the biblical account is valid and not at odds with findings about human history.

References: The Naked Neanderthal by Ludovic Slimak and wikipedia.org

October 27, 2023October 25, 2023

Attitude Toward Money

“Come all of you who are thirsty, come to the waters, and you who have no money – come and buy and eat; yes, come and buy wine and milk without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen to me and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” – Isaiah 55:1-2

One of the great mistakes of both atheists and religionists is their attitude toward money. Money is the number one cause of divorce in America. There are well-oiled machines designed to extract money from you and me. Some religious groups feel they must beg and coerce for money to do their work. Some secularists think that being rich is the only way to happiness. The fact is that the financially wealthiest people among us have not been the happiest. Here are a few biblical warnings about money.

1) MONEY CAN’T BUY EVERYTHING. The passage from Isaiah refers to what brings real happiness and satisfaction. Having a purpose in life and knowing you are fulfilling that purpose brings incredible joy. Regardless of your attitude toward money, and no matter how much you have, all the money in the world will not help when death comes.

2) MONEY CAN BE USED FOR GOOD. Luke 16:9-13 finds Jesus telling His followers that through the proper use of money, they can make friends by improving their future, helping others find their purpose in life, and building up the Church (not a human institution) to be an agent of good. Matthew 25:34-40 shows explicitly how Christians can use money. Not only does feeding the hungry, providing water for the thirsty, clothing those who are cold, taking care of the sick, taking in those who need shelter, and helping those in prison meet the needs of hurting people, but it also brings true satisfaction to those who provide it.

3) MONEY MAKES A GOOD SERVANT BUT A BAD MASTER. First Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many arrows.” Notice it is not money that is evil, but the love of money. Our attitude toward money can lead us astray. Second Corinthians 9:6-8 talks about sowing generously and tells us God loves those who give cheerfully. A casino is near our meeting place, and people have come to us in tears because they lost what money they had there. We must ask, “Who or what is your master?”

It has always been a practice of the “Does God Exist?” ministry to not ask anyone for money. If God wants this work to be successful, He will fund it, and He does that through people who love Him and cheerfully wish to use the money God has provided them to support causes that make a difference.

October 20, 2023October 16, 2023

What Is a Legalist?

One of our detractors recently wrote that she hates me because I am a legalist. I asked her to define “legalist,” and she refused. What is a legalist? The problem is understanding the difference between a legalist and a believer. My detractor had earlier sent me an email stating that she was applying to be the preacher in the congregation where we worship.

The detractor cited the fact that the government has passed a law that no one can be denied a job based on race, gender, or sexual orientation. She is a lesbian woman and since I have never seen her, I don’t know her race. The fact that I believe God has established different roles for men and women makes me a legalist in her opinion. When I asked her if there was a job a woman could do that I am excluded from she said “No.” When I asked her if she thought I could be a mother, she hung up.

So, what is a legalist? A legalist is a person who makes a law out of their opinion or tradition and forces that on everyone else. God has given us certain laws that even an atheist should not question. One example would be not murdering. That does not make God a legalist because it is not an opinion or me a legalist because I support it.

As a Christian who taught in public schools for 41 years, I have an opinion that recreational marijuana and alcoholic drinks should not be marketed in a place where teenagers have easy access to them. I base my opinion on seeing the horrible damage done by these recreational drugs. My opinion is that they should be removed from grocery stores, quick-stop stores, and filling stations. I have Christian friends who strongly disagree, and they have that right. I am not going to denigrate them or segregate the church over this issue. I can provide evidence of the destructive nature of these drugs (as we have done HERE and HERE), but a legalist would disfellowship another Christian if they drank a beer.

Legalism is a mindset, and Jesus gave us a classic example of what is a legalist in Luke 18:9-12. In this case, it was a Pharisee extolling the things he was doing that the tax collector was not doing, including fasting and giving tithes. He assumed that the tax collector was inferior to him. This ministry is about providing evidence of God and Jesus Christ and asking people to decide how they will use that evidence. It is not my job to tell you what to believe or how to live. I only ask that others not be legalists by telling me I can’t present that evidence or must be forcibly stopped and punished for engaging in a Christian activity just because they disagree.

October 18, 2023October 16, 2023

Generation Z Questions and Faith

Generation Z is a label applied to those born between 1996 and 2010. These young people have grown up with COVID, climate concerns, and lives run by digital controls. Gen Z-ers have been bombarded by hypocrisy in adults, threats of violence, and an atheistic government lacking moral standards. How do those factors affect Generation Z questions and faith?

Those who study demographics tell us that 33% of these young people believe it is impossible to know if God is real. Only 4% have a biblical worldview, and less than 40% identify themselves as “Christian” in the term’s broadest sense. It is not hard to understand why these numbers exist, but the larger question is how can we address Generation Z questions and needs?

The answer is not in preaching to them or quoting scripture. That doesn’t mean the Bible should not be part of addressing their needs, but we must change how we approach them. How did Jesus address the struggles of His disciples and other people of His day? In Luke 7:20-23, John the Baptist sends men to Jesus, asking if He was the one the prophets had said would come.

How did Jesus respond to the question? In verse 22, He said, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard.” He then refers to the evidence of the miracles performed. When Thomas didn’t believe that Jesus had risen, what did Jesus do? (See John 20:26-28.) In Luke 24:36-43, the disciples were frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost. Jesus said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see.” He then ate a piece of broiled fish so they could see he was real.

The point is that Jesus dealt with doubt by showing evidence. He didn’t tell them to blindly believe. He didn’t quote scripture to them. If Jesus appeared in the flesh today, some people would still find a way to deny Him, as the religious leaders of that day did. However, our discussion must center around evidence, not human-made creeds or denominational dogma, and it must be backed up by living a Christ-like life.

We must show evidence that God is real, that we are uniquely created in God’s image, and that we have a soul that makes us different from other forms of life. Furthermore, the teachings of Jesus show that He is far beyond a mere human, and following His instructions can give us a life of fulfillment and purpose. Generation Z questions are the same things people asked of Jesus. We have the tools to address those questions as we show the reality of faith by how we live our lives.

Data from the Barna Group (2018), Impact 360 Institute (2018), and Pew Research Center Religion in Public Life (2022)

October 17, 2023October 15, 2023

Quantum Scammers – Quantum Quackery

Scammers have recently made several claims about quantum physics and its applications. Quantum scammers claim that an interface called Quantum Xrroid Consciousness can use quantum physics to treat various physical ailments, including cancer. Others advertise “quantum power” as a solution to everything from climate change to control of the ozone hole. People are selling “quantum stones” as high-vibration stones for healing arthritis and muscular problems. “Quantum threads” are being promoted as the fabric of space-time to bring the energy of the universe to those who use them properly.

Scammers and quacks will latch onto anything to bilk people out of money or, in some cases, even harm them. Scammers were active in biblical times. Acts 8 tells of a sorcerer named Simon who saw the power of the apostles and wanted to buy it to advance his quackery. In Acts 19, we read about a group of Jewish exorcists who heard about exorcisms by the apostles and tried to do it themselves. Snake oil salesmen did a lively business in the early American frontier. Recently, scammers have sold marijuana to cure everything from athlete’s foot to cancer. My son-in-law died because he was convinced to try marijuana to cure his bone cancer rather than using conventional medical treatments.

None of this has any scientific support. “Quantum threads” don’t exist. Religious quantum scammers suggest that “profound sounding” can open the universe to quantum spiritual understanding through meditation. Quantum theory deals with the composition of particles smaller than atoms, not some plasma that we can harness and use.

We live in an age of incredible spiritual and biblical ignorance. Apostle Paul wrote, “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be complete (thoroughly equipped) for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16). Don’t be misled by claims of people using scientific words to support false medical or religious claims. You can always rely on the truth of God’s Word.

Reference: New Scientist magazine Autumn 2023 and Wikipedia.