20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 72)
BibleThinker
Understanding God's Plan and Human Suffering
This chapter delves into the complexities of God's plan, particularly in relation to human suffering and childhood illness. The speakers discuss the tension between divine judgment, free will, and the hope offered through Christianity, while examining biblical narratives linked to acceptance and rejection of faith. They also address broader ethical questions about salvation, the nature of existence, and the Christian perspective on true joy amidst life's challenges.
Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:
0:00 - Intro
1. 0:25 {Do we Need Religion to have Morals?} How would you respond to this statement?: “You don’t need religion to have morals. If you can’t determine right from wrong, then you lack empathy, not religion.”
2. 6:19 {Can we be Sure of the Resurrection?} In Acts 25: 20, if Festus and Agrippa can't be sure of the resurrection claim, how can we be sure now?
3. 12:23 {Comments on Reincarnation/Simpsons’ Prophecies?} Do you have any suggestions to help a believer of reincarnation? Ex: Ryan Hammons has 55 verified statements about having a past life. Also, Bible prophecies mean nothing since The Simpsons have predicted the future many times.
4. 16:38 {Was I Really Saved in the Past?} Was I ever really saved and had a relationship with Christ if I left heterosexuality and embraced my same sex attraction and married my wife?
5. 20:46 {Resolving a “Contradiction”} Does Ezekiel 18: 20 contradict the stoning of Achan and his family in Joshua 7: 24-26 (the idea of original sin passed down through Adam) and 2 Samuel 12: 13-15?
6. 29:59 {Do we “Just Believe” to be Saved?} To be saved, all we need to do is believe? Like how I believed that Santa was real when I was younger? Or is there more to this belief?
7. 33:19 {How are Miracles Proof if Satan Can Also Do Them?} One of the proofs you've put forward that the Bible is from God is miracles and prophecy. If we see that Satan is also able to do miracles, like Pharaoh's magicians, then why are those things proof it’s from God?
8. 36:53 {Can an Infinite God relate to Finite Creation?} How can an infinite God relate to a finite creation? Compared to infinity, our world's age is nothing, be it 10,000 years or billions. Same with the size of universe.
9. 39:44 {Could God Exist but Not be Perfectly Good?} Atheist here. What stops a supernatural but not perfectly good being from being the author of the miracles in the Bible, especially when you already accept the existence of supernatural beings?
10. 43:57 {Does Creating Time Require Time?} An atheist posited this question: If God created time, doesn't that require time, to create time?
11. 46:09 {Is a Belief in God an Attempt to Personalize the Impersonal?} An atheist claims: “Belief in God is what happens when social brains try to explain an impersonal universe. Personal explanations for impersonal events fail to deal with logic of uncertainty.” Any help?
12. 51:38 {How can Jesus be Sinless if “Unclean” at Times?} My professor brought up this question and I need to know your opinion. According to Hebrew Scripture, anything not of God’s perfect eschatological view is sin (human excretion, etc.). So how can we say Jesus is sinless?
13. 54:46 {Should Mormons Celebrate Christmas and Easter?} As a Mormon, since you'd consider us non-Christian, should we be allowed to celebrate Christmas or Easter?
14. 57:29 {Why Christianity vs. Other Religions?} Why should a person be Christian over another monotheistic religion which claims to be the truth, such as Islam?
15. 1:01:55 {Why does God Allow Children to have Cancer?} Why does God allow children to get cancer and other terminal illnesses?
16. 1:08:07 {Why Didn’t God Show Sodom Miracles?} In Matthew 11: 23-24, Jesus says that Sodom would have been saved if they had seen His miracles. Why, then, didn’t God perform miracles so that they would believe? Doesn’t He want everyone to be saved?
17. 1:14:43 {If God Doesn’t Change, Why do His Rules?} From a non-Christian friend: If God doesn’t change over time, how come He commands Jews not to eat certain foods in the Old Testament, but deems them OK in the New Testament?
18. 1:17:46 {Can God Give Commands when He Forced us to Exist?} Is it fair for God to demand our everything when we are forced to exist? I know Christ died for us, but it seems unfair to go through such suffering and sacrifice to receive salvation and avoid Hell.
19. 1:23:05 {Is Evangelism Harmful?} If a conscientious person who never heard the Gospel can still be saved, but a skeptic of the Gospel is damned, doesn't evangelism damn more people than it saves? Wouldn't humanism be our best bet?
20. 1:25:48 {Can we be Pro-Life and Against Same-Sex Adoption?} How do we respond to people who say “You Christians are so pro-life yet you don’t want gay people to adopt”? What’s the path to answering that question?
NON-CHRISTIAN DAY!
I'm taking questions from non-Christians today. You can ask a question if you are a non-Christian OR if you are a Christian but have a question that a non-Christian would also ask.
THANK YOU for your patience as we always get more questions than I can possibly answer, but I will do my best.
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