Fifty Questions That Christians Can't Answer

[Shell B]

The following is a link to an article that was written by a writer, who just so happens to also be a perfectionist. So, if you plan on reading it, I hope you don't mind thoroughness. Fifty Questions That Christians Can't Answer

My feeling is that the article leaves very little to be discussed, seeing that I agree with it, in its entirety. However, I also think this article could lead to some very healthy discussion. If you would like to discuss, agree, disagree or anything else, I would love to oblige.

[Xyster]

Well Found at least a mistake in the 50...#19 Lucifer is NOT Satan.. this is a common error but Lucifer was only mentioned once in the bible (Isaiah 14:12) but if you start at 14:1 The bible is clearly talking about the King of Babylon. BUT this dose not make statement 19 wrong just need to replace the name Lucifer.... But then again most Christians dont know the bible as well as this Atheist...

[Shell B]

You must know the bible really well. I can't say that I knew that. I'll mention that to the author.

[fr0d0]

I think all of those questions have been answered on AF by Christians. Spurious claim as usual.

[Shell B]

I wonder if they have been answered satisfactorily. That seems to always be the problem. If an atheist's questions were answered in a way that was satisfactory, or proved them wrong, so to speak, the debate would be over. Vague answers like "because God wills it" and anything containing the word faith don't hold a lot of water with skeptics (or in this case, outright naysayayers).

[Shinylight]

Religion relies on being vague, anything bad is discarded, anything wrong is a metaphor. I respect fundamentalists for sticking to the 'word of their deity'. I also laugh at their absurd claims .

[fr0d0]

I believe they are answered satisfactorily, if that is with more than a non answer such as goddidit. However they are timeless questions that can never be satisfactorily answered for the atheist skeptic. The same applies the other way around. Both sides can happily hold ground. Such is the nature of the beast. Someone should try to make piles of money out of it... oh wait...

[Saerules]

I'm not even a Christian, and a number of them simply don't make sense.

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Quote:1 - If God is omnipotent (all-powerful), why did he take six days to create everything? Why not speak everything into existence all at once?

This assumes that omnipotence means hastiness. He probably enjoyed creating things "slowly", and I can't see why he wouldn't have.

Quote:2 - Why won't God heal amputees?

This is never actually stated in the bible... only that he had not healed amputees. In which case, it isn't that "God" won't heal amputees, but that it wasn't noted in the bible.

Quote:3 - If God is so perfect, then why did he create something so imperfect allowing pain, suffering and daily atrocities?

Whyever not? Can you imagine how dull a world without pain, suffering, and "daily atrocities" would be? My personality, like the personality of many others, is largely formed from my pain and depression. Why would a perfect god make a world without pain?

Quote:4 - Why did the little old lady that God healed one Sunday need her walker to get around again next Sunday? Was she only temporarily worthy of a healing?

I know of no such instance. But if there was a "God", then there was probably a reason for it. But again, i don't remember this instance of healing.

Quote:5 - How did Noah fit the millions and millions of species of animals on this planet into his ark? It doesn't take a mathematical genius to realize the physical impossibility of this.

Could be answered any number of ways... from "God" shrunk them all, to "God" made the ark much larger so everything would fit. If we are already assuming that it is possible to bring 2 of every specie and 7 of some onto the ark... then surely doing more would not be difficult for "God"?

Quote:6 - If Noah did fit all of these species on the ark for forty days and forty nights, how did the penguins make it from Mt. Ararat to the Antarctic? How did the koala bears make it to Australia with no eucalyptus to eat along the way?

With a little help from an omnipotent god?

Quote:7 - Why do innocent children have to suffer with terminal diseases such as cancer? What part of 'God's plan' is this exactly?

This, unlike the last 6, is a good question. But i know of a number of ways a Christian can make excuses for this sort of thing (not to suggest they are valid).

Quote:8 - How is it that the bible explains the earth to be 6,000 to 8,000 years old when we know that dinosaur bones are at least 65 million years old? This isn't the only example of our planet's age by any means, either.

Because the Bible was written about 2 millennia before modern science?

Quote:9 - Why can't the all-powerful God forgive someone of their sins after they die?

Here we go again with assuming omnipotence means anything but simply omnipotence. Why would he?

Quote:10 - God wants everyone to worship and follow him and, if they don't, they burn in hell for all eternity. What does this type of attitude say about his character? By definition, he would be described as a tyrant.

Actually... "by definition?" he would be selfish/self-centered/egotistical. He is a tyrant... but not because he wants to be worshiped by everyone else.

Quote:11 - If Jesus died on the cross and spent three days in hell to pay for the sins of the world, then why would we have to go to hell ourselves and pay for them again? God is then, in essence, being paid for our sins twice. With that said, was Jesus' sacrifice not worthy enough? If that is the case, why should we care that he died for our sins if his sacrifice means nothing at all?

Good question.

Quote:12 - If God wants us all to follow and worship him, why didn't he create us as such? *Your expected answer will be addressed in the next question.

Because 'he' enjoys our eternal screams? Joking aside, 'he' probably does.

Quote:13 - What good is it for us to have free will if the intention is for us not to use it? Sure, we can use our free will, but we will burn in hell for eternity if we do. Russian roulette, anybody? It sounds like a set-up to me.

Well... if he enjoys our eternal screams...

Quote:14 - In the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, why would God kill Lot's wife, Sarah, by turning her into a pillar of salt for simply looking in the wrong direction? *Warning of impending sarcasm.* God is a merciful God........... right.

Because he told them to not look back, and she looked back? For all we know... everyone who looked at the twin cities would be turned to salt (probably including those in the city). Is it so wrong of God to have known this and to have warned them prior to having them leave?

Quote:15 - What purpose does hell serve? If it is punishment for sinful actions, shouldn't it be used for correctional purposes? Seeing as though you burn forever, you will never get out of hell to show that you have learned your lesson. Would it make since to live a faithful Christian life glorifying the Lord and to accidentally sin by saying a curse word the instant you smash your car into the back of a tractor-trailer, thereby being condemned to burn in hell forever?

I already said... he probably enjoys our screams.

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And Christians can "answer" those ones I can't "really" answer. In any case though... it is far from a list of 50 things that Christians can't answer. If you already believe in a "God", then it is very easy to answer most/all of those things.

[Xyster]

(15th February 2010 15:38)Saerules Wrote:  

Quote:2 - Why won't God heal amputees?

This is never actually stated in the bible... only that he had not healed amputees. In which case, it isn't that "God" won't heal amputees, but that it wasn't noted in the bible.

Well the amputee thing is not talking about the bible every time ive heard this argument its aimed at modern day and the con artist... err I mean faith healers...

[leo-rcc]

Your reply on Noah's ark was even more far fetched than the Christians make up Sea. If God were to do all that then he shouldn't have bothered with ordering Noah to build the ark. Just zap everything except Noah and his family and the livestock he wants to keep alive. Besides, if God's beef was with the humans, why not let the rest of the animals of the world live and just zap the humans?