Tag Archives: God

Honest Q & A: The Existence of God – Introduction

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This is the very first installment of Honest Q & A. While several topics have been touched on in our questions, some of them boil down to the very existence of God. Things like, “How do we know whether he exists?” or “How do we know there even is a God to answer our prayers?”

No question we will deal with is any more basic than this, so it’s probably a good place to start, but it’s not an easy question to answer. We could say something like, “The Bible says it, I believe it and that settles it,” but that would more likely shut down further conversation rather than generate it. Moreover, the Bible doesn’t really approach the question of God’s existence as something that needs to be proved. It assumes that God exists right from the first verse and presents it as something to be believed.

If we’re going to truly take both the question and the questioner seriously, we have to admit that there are a number of ways to begin. No answer is going to provide a drop-dead, slam-dunk type of proof. We are dealing with God, not with mathematics. We must also consider that mere belief in God is not the same as biblical Christianity. In a sense, we have to be open to belief in God before we can consider ourselves Christians.

We’ll only take one line of evidence at a time. As we proceed through several installments, I hope we’ll see that there is ample reason to believe in God. Some will resonate well with some people, some will resonate more with others. Altogether, the point will at least be made that belief in God is not just for the ignorant or naïve.  God is, above all, for thinking people.

Jonathan Edwards Calls the Devil a Blockhead

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The devil is continually attacking the godly.  Nonetheless, his attacks on Christians only advance them in their growth in grace.  They learn to persevere through the trials with which he afflicts them.  The result is that they are made “perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:4).  His assault on the Redeemer only served to bring about redemption. “God holds Satan on a chain,” wrote Jonathan Edwards.  “When a person is converted, he is out of Satan’s ultimate reach.” It is the absolute height of foolishness to oppose an omniscient, omnipotent being and attempt to thwart his ultimate designs. Yet that is exactly what the devil tries to do when he attacks the godly.  He finds himself in direct opposition to God who will inevitably use his tactics toward their ultimate good.  Edwards reflected,

EdwardsSeeing the devil is so cunning and subtle, it may seem a paradox why he will endeavour to frustrate the designs of an Omniscient Being, or to pretend to controvert him that is omnipotent, … And seeing he has experience of it, for so long a time, all his deep-laid contrivances have at last come out to his own overthrow, and the work has been directly contrary to his design. To this I say, that although the devil be exceeding crafty and subtle yet he is one of the greatest fools and blockheads in the world … although he never attempted any thing against God but he was disappointed, yet he cannot bear to be quiet and refrain from exercising himself with all his might and subtlety against the increase of holiness; though, if he considered, he might know that it will turn to its advantage. Continue reading →

Objections to Christianity

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If you have Objections to Christianity and are willing to help me with a brief paper, here is a very simple survey for you to complete and give back to me.  The data will be used anonymously and you will only be contacted by me for further discussion if you wish.  If you don’t have any objections yourself, but know someone who does and might want to submit them, feel free to pass this on.

Objections – Survey (Word)

Objections – Survey (pdf)

I’d like to have the information back by the end of May 2013.  The paper will be ready by July 10 and I’d be happy to give you a copy if you wish.

Thanks!!!!

–DCK

Religion in Rome – nothing to do with the Pope

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First put this put this up about 4 years ago, and got to thinking about it again.  The key point is the title has to do with “decline and fall.  Not hoping for that by any means, just noticing a similarity.”

I recently stumbled upon this and thought it sounded a lot like the USA.  It’s from Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. I, ch. II:

“The policy of the emperors and the senate, as far as it concerned religion, was happily seconded by the reflections of the enlightened, and by the habits of the superstitious, part of their subjects. The various modes of worship which prevailed in the Roman world were all considered by the people as equally true; by the philosopher as equally false; and by the magistrate as equally useful. And thus toleration produced not only mutual indulgence, but even religious concord.”  (Emphasis added.)

In the yet-to-be-written The History of the Decline and Fall of the American Empire, vol. I, ch. II, it will state:  

“The average American was vaguely religious believing that it didn’t matter what one believed as long as one was sincere.  The devotee of science was convinced that all religion would become unnecessary if only people knew better.  Most politicians identified themselves as, ‘Christians who support Israel’ (but didn’t always give convincing evidence of either), and knew that Islam was undeniably a ‘religion of peace’ (while uncertain that religious knowledge even existed).  These points of view (though on the face of it contradictory) actually harmonized well enough in the public mind that the most of the diverse population managed to somehow get along with itself.”