Questions by non-Christians

[Alvin Lee]

Well, I do have some question thrown to me in school by my friends.
So, besides approaching the men in my church, I would like to hear some answers and opinions from you guys.

1. Adam and Eve had 2 kids, Cain and Abel. Well, this guy said that, brothers and sister are not allowed to marry and have children, so he argues that Adam and Eve commited sin in that way. Besides that, when Cain left for the land of Nod, who did he marry and have children with? Again, it has to be his sister. Also, how did people get to all over the world when transportation tools were very obselete?- from an anti-Christ

2. Stigmata, one of my friends told me about this. He said that, this is a form of divine punishment/sign from God. Pictures show that the palms and eyes of the person bleed and blood flows profusely. Also, people feel the pain that Jesus felt when He was on the cross. See http://www.medjugorjeusa.org/sudac.htm or search Google images for stigmata- from a Catholic

3. How did Jesus feed 5000 people with such little food? This guy argues that, through the laws of science, it is impossible to manipulate and multiply such little matter into a gargantuan amount of food. Therefore he says there is no logical explaination for this. -from a Buddhist/anti-Christ

4. Statues of Mother Mary that cry. He states that blood(BLOOD??!!) or tears flow from the statue in Australia. Refer to http://www.pinktentacle.com/2008/03/jap ... ry-statue/ -from a Catholic

5. A denominational priest chants some words and then pushes a person at his forehead with a finger, and that person faints and falls into a deep sleep. Divine power from God? Gift of the Holy Ghost? -from a Catholic

6. This one is interesting. Someone broke the unleaven bread during the Lord Supper, put it into his mouth but did not eat it. It was then wrapped in a handkerchief and brought home. As the opened the handkerchief, he saw that the broken price of unleaven bread had turned into a piece of torn flesh! After examining the specimen, it was found that it came from a region of the heart. -from a Catholic

These claims may not be true and most probably are not true.

So, what do you think?

[pfalcon]

Hahahahahahaha.

Very interesting questions. Alright, let's take them apart one by one and expose them for the error they are!!! Lol, okok, let's not sound so cruel..

1. Ok, a brother or sister, is defined as someone being born of a mother and have the same set of parents. If you want a more scientific term, they have about, I think it was, 7-8 common allels? I don't really know.

So Adam and Eve, by definition are not considered brother and sister.

Yeah, so Cain went and got married. People ask where did Cain get his wife? My answer: Deut. 29:29. Sometimes there are things God doesn't tell us. And rightly so!! Who cares where did Cain get his wife? The fact is, he did. And it doesn't affect our salvation, so... we can ask God when we see Him.

In addition, the Bible did not say that God did not create any other people besides Adam and Eve, or that Adam and Eve did not bear any other children after Cain and Abel. Just something to think about.

(btw, this is the same answer we give to someone who asks, so what was the fruit of knowledge? Apple? In any case, I think it's durian. =P)

2. Refer below
3. Define miracle: An act of event which is beyond nature. Eg: Jesus walking on water, Moses parting the Red Sea, Lazarus raised from the dead.

The feeding of the 5000 is also such an example.

You say it scientifically cannot be explained. Of course it cannot be explained! It's beyond nature!! That's why Jesus did miracles in the first place! (John 20:30-31).

4. Refer below
5. Refer below
6. Refer below

My response to 2,4,5,6?
1. Deut 13:1-3
It says that if a prophet tells you a sign, and it comes to pass, but he says to you to go after other gods, you DO NOT follow that prophet.

2. 2 Thes 2:9-12
Satan has power, signs and lying wonder. You see, many of us know that God has powers. But sometimes we tend to forget that Satan has powers too.

3. 1 John 4:1
Do not believe every spirit, but test them, whether they are from God or not.

You see, sometimes some things happen out of the ordinary of which we cannot explain. People will claim this, people will claim that, but often times, their teachings are waaaay off from the Bible. In which case, the Bible tells us that these are false prophets and teachers and we should not go after them just because something extraordinary happened.

Keep the faith!
-Se@n

[darylkirk]

I like the bread turn into flesh part.

[Alvin Lee]

Well, I'm not suprised. I had a shock when my friend told me that too :/

[ernshern]

Shock? lol.. how sure are u his not lying? or maybe the person that told him lied , or mayb the person the person that told your fren which told u lied? lol...
SEAN, u the man...
love ur answers...
and alvin , no word of Thanks to Sean?? *_*
after he dont wan answer anymore

[Alvin Lee]

Well, I'm shocked to hear such a thing, that doesn't mean I believe its true.
And yes, my sincere apologies and thanks to Sean.

This guy, he never quits. I'm really sick and tired of talking to him. Whenever Jonah and I tell him something concerning his argument, he never seems to listen. Not just that, he repeats his initial statement after we have given him a good reply. He just doesn't soften his heart and listen to us.
As it is written, swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. Jonah and I have been very patient with this guy. He makes his accusations against the Bible without any solid proof at all. He says the Bible is a storybook, fairytale, some smart Greek wrote the Bible and stuff like that. We normally have a huge crowd of 6-20 people listening to us when we speak in class. The good thing is, they are interested in the word of God. The better thing is, they say his statements and accusations simply have no solid proof and reasoning.
After all is said and done, he will come right up to me and tell me this, 'Alvin, you suck,'
Well, its better for me not to judge him, for God will take vengeance upon all those unbelievers and those that deny the truth.
Guys, tell me what to do in order to convince him. Its just not right to let a soul slip past my hands like that.
Some have told me, 'You have done your part, let him be' others, 'TO HELL WITH HIM! LET SATAN CRUSH HIS BONES!'

Help please?

[pfalcon]

2 Tim 3:12 - Yes, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
1 Pet 4:16 - If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.

Well, that's as far as comforting words go. I was never good with words, so I use the Bible.

Anyway, yes, I know how it feels. People whom you have cared for for pretty much most parts of your life, and you try to bring them to Jesus, try to show them the Bible, but all to no avail. They harden their hearts as in the rebellion.

I don't know about you, but if it were someone not really close to me, like a stranger or something, I'd say, "Alright then. Thank you very much for your time." That's like, during tract distribution and all. But if it's someone you know and really care about, esp a member of your family, it's a completely different story, ain't it?

Anyway, I would just say, let's not give up. We shouldn't give up. We mustn't give up. Most of all, we must not get discouraged. Just keep trying. Remember the parable of the persistent widow told by Jesus?

If he says the Bible is nothing but a fairy tale written by some Greek dude, then explain why the Old Testament was written in Hebrew. +.+

Besides, it's all down to conviction and common sense.
Think about it. If the Bible did not come from God, who wrote the Bible? What did he have to gain from writing such a thick book? However could he have gotten all those wonderful wisdom as is in the Bible? But, then again, I'm sure you all know this already.

Sometimes, people just refuse to accept the truth. The truth hurts, yes, but we tell it as it is. Heb 4:12 says that the Bible is living and powerful, sharper than any 2-edged sword..

The Bible is sharper than any 2-edged sword. It convicts people. Sometimes people don't like when they are told what they've been doing all this while is wrong. Though this may be the case, we do NOT give up on them. Never. After all, Jesus never gave up on us. The only 2 things He gave up was His glory in heaven and His life for us.

Likewise, we should never give up on people, esp those we cherish very very much. Yet, we must not only be too caught up with them that we fail to reach out to others. We sow the seed, if nothing comes out, we leave it and sow some more. But if the earlier seed yields increase, we go back and water it! Hope this has been encouragement, not only to Alvin but to others reading as well.

Stay strong always!!
-Se@n

[willyl]

Alvin, I'm encouraged by your sincerity and patience with this friend of yours because there are not a lot of people who have that much patience. There are a lot of people out there who are just like your friend. Hurl proof-less accusations at us with questions, but not for the reason of actually finding out about it. From what you told us about your friend, even when you explain it to him, he does not bother to actually listen and try to understand. One way of knowing people with this attitude is when he asks you a question like, "The earth is suppose to be only 6000 years old according to you Christians but scientists show that the earth is millions of years old. NOW WHAT?!". You can answer with something along the lines of, "well there is an explanation for it." or "the Bible DOES provide an answer for that". And just stop. If the person is sincere, he should say "oh really? where? i didn't know that". THAT shows sincerity that he actually wants to find out.

As for help, all of us here can only pray and encourage you through words, but nothing more. Everything comes from within you to persevere and trust in God, and hope that one day, he will have a change of heart =]

I had the experience of doing that once. I had a friend who was very very adamant about the fact that the Bible is a hoax and Christianity is nothing but a cult. Day after day, I tried and tried, but never succeeded. And then one day, he said, "you know, its really interesting. everyday i tell you that everything you believe is a lie, and yet you stand by it and defend it. I guess there really IS something special about what you believe in." And now, that friend of mine is a Christian, faithfully attending in a congregation in the states. I have never met him in person, but its interesting that by choosing the right words and being patient, good things can come out of it.

I hope my little story has been an encourage not just to you Alvin, but all of us out there who continue to strive the spread the gospel. Everyday Christians, not just Sunday Christians =]

[Alvin Lee]

Well, in my case, this guy is nothing but hardcore. Hes really hard hearted and I believe words might not be able to help him much thought I be patient and stand by him.
Anyway, my class has officially become very curious and inquisitive about Christianity. My teacher asked me to tell the class about Christianity and its roots. Therefore, I thought, an opportunity like this does not come very often. I told the class about the plan of salvation and guess what? They called me reverend and a Pope. I further explained that we can't refer to people as reverend and the Pope does not exist.
I'm happy with what Jonah and I have achieved so far in my school
How bout you guys?

[pfalcon]

That's very very very encouraging news, Alvin.. nowadays, not many youths will speak up for the truth these days because of FEAR. But we're glad you took the courage and opportunity to do so!

Perhaps one thing you would wanna do is to get them enrolled in the BCC, Bible Correspondence Course. Our preacher, bro. Eng Boon did a survey and found only Klang and Subang, among all the congregations in Malaysia and Singapore have an active BCC. I hope that's not the case with Malacca (and with Jurong too). It's a good evangelistic tool. Did you know bro. Steven Chan became a Christian through the BCC?

As for me, I spoke to one of my friends about Christianity and about other religions as well. And would you imagine, it was all done over MSN +.+

It all started with his personal message saying something about submitting to God's plans.. That time, I was actually studying for a test. But in the end, I pm-ed him and we talked for like, 2 hours about God and the Bible. He said the Bible has been around for so long, it was impossible that it was never tampered by men. So I used what we learn in our maths class to prove to him otherwise.. I thought that it was something we both could relate to, so I did, and he understood. In the end, I think he was convinced that the Bible was true and that he needed to be a Christian, but he wanted to delay it and well, the effort is still ongoing!!! Hehe...

[Alvin Lee]

I believe you guys should try doing what I did. I felt really good while and after speaking to the crowd. It gives you that sense of satisfaction because when you are sharing with them your knowledge and opinions of the Bible, they seems to be completely mesmerised and immersed deep into the words. Indeed the word of God is sharper than any two edged sword! I never realized that words can be such an amazing tool of spreading the gospel in school.
But guys, don't take it over the limit. Sometimes, the discussions may become an argument if you are not careful. After a session, I ended up having to argue the true differences between the Catholic church and the true church of Christ.

[pfalcon]

Well, probably I'd like to share a few pointers on how to avoid arguments...
1. Keep smiling!
Seriously, if you smile, you make people happy, and it helps get your message across easier...

2. Answer softly, politely, but convincing not harsh, angry and striking...
Prov 15:1 - A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up strife.

3. Remind them again and again that everything you're saying is not of your authority, but of the Bible (2 Pet 1:20-21)
4. Make sure you were not in a bad mood before you started engaging in any discussions.
5. PRAY beforehand!

Keep toiling!
-Se@n

[meforevidence]

I know we must be careful about books outside of the Bible and that is a different topic, but there are many books that the Bible mentions (both inspired and just historical), that are not in our Bibles. Some have been found in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible makes reference to them (of which I can show many examples, but again in another topic). Here is what it reads in the Book of Jubilees (found in the Dead Sea scrolls). These are not to be confused with the Gnostic scriptures found in Alexandria Egypt.

" [Chapter 4]

1. And in the third week in the second jubilee [64-70 A.M.] she gave birth to Cain, and in the fourth [71-77 A.M.] she gave birth to Abel, and in the fifth [78-84 A.M.] she gave birth to her daughter Âwân.
2. And in the first (year) of the third jubilee [99-105 A.M.], Cain slew Abel because (God) accepted the sacrifice of Abel, and did not accept the offering of Cain.
3. And he slew him in the field: and his blood cried from the ground to heaven, complaining because he had slain him.
4. And the Lord reproved Cain because of Abel, because he had slain him, and he made him a fugitive on the earth because of the blood of his brother, and he cursed him upon the earth.
5. And on this account it is written on the heavenly tables, 'Cursed is ,he who smites his neighbor treacherously, and let all who have seen and heard say, So be it; and the man who has seen and not declared (it), let him be accursed as the other.'
6. And for this reason we announce when we come before the Lord our God all the sin which is committed in heaven and on earth, and in light and in darkness, and everywhere.
7. And Adam and his wife mourned for Abel four weeks of years, [99-127 A.M] and in the fourth year of the fifth week [130 A.M.] they became joyful, and Adam knew his wife again, and she bare him a son, and he called his name Seth; for he said 'GOD has raised up a second seed unto us on the earth instead of Abel; for Cain slew him.'
8. And in the sixth week [134-40 A.M.] he begat his daughter Azûrâ.
9. And Cain took Âwân his sister to be his wife and she bare him Enoch at the close of the fourth jubilee. [190-196 A.M.] And in the first year of the first week of the fifth jubilee, [197 A.M.] houses were built on the earth, and Cain built a city, and called its name after the name of his son Enoch. "

[jessie]

I will address these as nicely as possible. theres nowhere..nowhere..it says in scripture about the bleeding being divine punishment. so therefor..it requires no response. I don't like going against peoples religions....but if we want to start talking about what catholics said.....answer this.....

are we supposed to worship anyone other than Christ and the Father? then why do they worship mary?

Are we supposed to call anyone Father except God? then why do they call their priests father?

Can a person forgive others for sin? then how are they able to say.."your sins are fogiven?"

how do three "hail marys" make all sinning forgiven?? Gods name isnt mary..its the woman who gave birth to Christ.

where do t hey get that sprinking with water is babtism? its being submersed(completely under). read your BIBLES

i wouldnt worry about questions asked or brought on by such "sects" or "denominations" who are in err as bad as these. keep focused on the way to your eternal salvation.....................JESUS CHRIST.....not the virgin mary.