Christianity is Not a Religion..

The Answers are Here..

1. If God is so all-powerful, why didn't He just zap everything instantly, instead of taking six days to create everything? Certainly God could have created everything instantly if He wanted to. But clearly He had us in mind even before He made us, and wanted to provide an example for us to follow. The order of obvious sequences, & purpose to the acts of God, are revealed upon study of the Bible.

2. Why won't God heal amputees? When a believer loses a limb, he/she has God's promise of future wholeness. Faith is being certain of what we hope for, & sure of what we don't see (Hebrews 11:4). Jesus said, "It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet & be thrown into eternal fire", (Matthew 18:8).This confirms the relative unimportance of ourphysical condition in this world, as compared to our eternal state. To be maimed in this life, & then be made whole, is decisively preferable to entering hell 'whole', & sufferingfor eternity. Physical wholeness is not always what is best for us.

3. If God is so perfect, why didn't He create us perfect? ..and why does He allow pain, suffering & frequent atrocities? Though God feels grief on our behalf, it's not indicative of error or imperfection. Rather, it is a sign of strength & love on behalf of another; that is, of Agape love. It portrays specificactions by God to counteract our mistakes, (our sins). When the time comes, we will be given new & perfect bodies, prepared for our eternal fates. (Revelation 20:13; Acts24:15)

4. If God heals a person on one Sunday, why would he/she need a walker to get around come the following Sunday? Isn't a person worthy of permanent healing? We need to be much less concerned with our physical condition, and much more concerned with our spiritual condition (Romans 12:1-2). Though unable to find Biblical reference to this type of 'healing', I can personally recollect a little old lady who was 91 years old, very frail, and used a walker because she was too weak to get around without one. However, one day she when became very emotionally distressed, I watched as she lifted the walker into the air above her, and literally ran the length of an entire long hallway, carrying the walker above her. Yet, within a short time she was again too weak to even make the few steps to her bed without assistance. So, in answer to the question.. I believe someone can experience brief periods of strength lent by their own overwhelming emotions at the time. Revelation 21:4 conveys the true healing we should all be seeking : “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5. How did the millions and millions of species on the planet fit into Noah's ark? The ark had many rooms (Genesis 6:14) three levels (Genesis 6:16) and walls which would also have taken up space. Still, it's been calculated that even if the ark had only 1,518,750 cubic feet of free space, a bit more than half (54.75%) of the 2,773,925, it could store up to 125,000 sheep-size animals. And it's estimated that only about 15% of the animals on the ark would have been larger than sheep. This number doesn't account for the possibility that God may have brought infant animals to Noah, which would be much smaller than adult animals.It's estimated there's about 16,000 kinds, & the designation of kind is thought to be much broader than that of species. In example, there's 400+ dog breeds, but they all belong to one species(Canis familiaris). Moreover,many species can belong to one kind. Still, if we presume that kind is synonymous with species, there aren't so many species of birds, mammals, amphibians & reptiles. Allowing for two of each species on the ark, plus seven of the few so-called clean kinds of animals, & a reasonable increase for known extinct species, it's clear that not more than approximately 50,000 animals were on the ark. (Morris, 1987) Some estimates indicate there were as many as 25,000 kinds of animals represented on the ark. With two of each kind and seven of a few, the number of animals would exceed 50,000, though not by much. Regardless, whether there were 16,000 or 25,000 kinds of animals, even with two of each, & seven of some, scholars agree that there was ample space for all of the animals on the ark, plus more than sufficient space for food and water.

6. If all of the species did fit on the Ark, how did penguins make it from Mt. Ararat to the Antarctic, and how did koala bears makeit to Australia without eucalyptus to eat along their journey? The Bible does not make specific reference to koalas & penguins.. However, it's possible, & even likely that koalas were not yet developed from their originating species, which would have been present on the ark. The same can be said of the penguin, which may, or may not have been present on the Ark, since penguins are sea, as well as land faring creatures..

7. What part of Gods plan dictates why innocent children must suffer from terminal diseases like cancer? Trials & distress aren't unusual in life, & are part of what it means to be human in a fallen world. The heart is wicked and deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9), and all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Hence, no one is innocent in the sense of being sinless, not even children. He uses suffering to draw us to Himself so that we'll cling to Him. Jesus said, “In the world you shall have tribulation” (John 16:33). Those whose faith is truly in God will not be crushed by suffering, but will survive trials with their faith intact, having been proven through fire, so that it might be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:7). God uses suffering to take our eyes off of this world & put them on the next. The sufferings we endure & which seem so terrible are not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).

8. Since we know that dinosaur bones are at least 65 million years old, how is it the Bible explains the earth to be 6000 to 8000 years old? (Especially considering 'Ida', the missing link that is estimated at 47 million years old) Whether 6000, millions, or billions of years, all viewpoints are based on faith & assumptions. Those holding to millions or billions of years trust that methods like radiometric dating are reliable & that nothing occurred historically that might have disrupted the normal decay of radio-isotopes. The Bible does mention dinosaurs, though it refers to them using the Hebrew word tanniyn, which is usually translated as 'sea monster', 'serpent' or 'dragon'. The tanniyn appear to have been a form of giant reptile found on both land & water, & are mentioned about thirty times in the Old Testament. Additionally, the Bible describes some creatures in a way that some scholars believe may have been a description of dinosaurs. The behemoth, mightiest of all God’s creatures, is described as a giant whose tail is likened to a cedar tree (Job 40:15). Some scholars have tried to identify the behemoth as an elephant or hippopotamus, but others note that elephants and hippopotamuses have very slim tails, which in no way could compare to a cedar tree. Dinosaurs, like the brachiosaurus and the diplodocus, had huge tails which could easily compare to cedar trees. While the Bible doesn't discuss whether dinosaurs & humans coexisted, it's likely that dinosaurs became extinct due to dramatic environmental shifts after the flood, and also because they were hunted so relentlessly by man.

9. Why can’t God forgive people of their sins after they die? i.e., A Christian man who is seemingly on God’s 'good' list, makes a stupid decision & drinks a bit too much at a BBQ. On his way home he crashes into a car, killing a mother, her two children, & himself. The man led a faithful life, but made one stupid, yet grave mistake. If this man didn't ask for forgiveness of his sins before he became brain dead, then God will judge him and send him to burn in hell for eternity. Salvation isn't a matter of believers continuously repenting of every single sin committed before they die, & it's not based on whether a Christian has confessed & repented of every sin. Though we're told that we should confess our sins to God as soon as we're aware that we've sinned, we're not required to be continuously asking God's forgiveness. All of our sins; past, present, & future, are forgiven once we've placed our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. (Colossians 1:14; Acts 10:43).

10. God wants everyone to follow & worship him. If they don’t, they spend eternity in hell. What does this attitude say about His character? Wouldn't He be described as a tyrant? The problem with labeling God as a tyrant, is that without God, one has no realistic foundation for the moralityhe/she may claim ..that is, no moral framework from which to attack God. Before one can label something or someone bad, one must first must know what good is. And before one can label something good, they must first have the moral framework to distinguish between good & bad. And before one can have moral framework to distinguish good & bad, they must have absolute moral laws to build the framework. And before one can have absolute moral laws, they must have an absolute moral Lawgiver, since laws don’t provide themselves. And the only absolute moral Lawgiver one can have, is God. And this is why intellectually, even honest unbelievers can not label anything bad or good.

11. Since Jesus died on the cross to pay for the sins of all, and spent three days in hell, why should we have to go to hell and pay for the sins again? In essence, aren't our sins being paid for twice? Wasn't Jesus' sacrifice worthy enough? If not, and His sacrifice was meaningless, why should we care? First, nowhere in the Bible are we told that Jesus visited hell. Acts 2:31 says that He went to Hades (New American Standard Bible) Hades is not hell, but rather a temporary place where the dead await the final resurrection. Revelation 20:11-15, Hell is the permanent & final place of judgment for unbelievers, & Hades is a temporary place. Jesus yielded His spirit to the Father, died, and at some time during the next three days, He visited the realm of the dead, and delivered a message to spirit beings, (probably fallen angels); see Jude 6, and his message was likely a declaration of victory over satan & his hosts. (1 Peter 3:22; Colossians 2:15. Ephesians 4:8-10) also seems to indicate that Christ went to 'paradise' (Luke 16:20; 23:43), & took to heaven all those who had believed in Him prior to His crucifixion. And, no His sacrifice was not meaningless, since God provided the only sacrifice (Jesus) who could atone for the sins of His people. God’s perfect Son achieved God’s perfect obligation of God’s perfect law. Actually it's entirely brilliant in its simplicity. “God made Him (Christ), who knew no sin, to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

12. Why didn't God just create us all to follow and worship Him? God knew we wouldn't automatically follow & worship Him, but created us anyway, which means that the fall of mankind was part of God’s sovereign plan from the beginning. However, our falling into sin does not mean that God is the author of sin, nor that He tempts us to sin (James 1:13). The fall serves the purpose of our freedom to choose, and of God’s overall purpose for creation and humanity.

13. What good is free will if using it will send us to hell? Sounds like a set-up to me.. In John 5:40 Jesus said to the unbelievers.. “You refuse to come to me to have life”. They could have accepted Him if they wanted to; but they chose not to. Just as one would expect to fall if one chooses to jump off a cliff, ..so also should one expect to burn if one chooses hell.

14. Would a merciful God have killed Lot's wife, Sarah? (story of Sodom & Gomorrah); He turned her into a pillar of salt for simply looking in the wrong direction... Lot & Sarah were expressly instructed not to look back, '..He said, Escape for your life; look not behind you, neither stay you in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed' (Genesis 19:17) . She did not simply look in the wrong direction ..she simply defied God.

15. Shouldn't hell be for correctional purposes, rather than punishment for sinful actions? Why should a faithful Christian burn in hell for an accidental sin? The lives we lead now, are jammed with lessons that, in themselves are correctional.. and again, all of our sins; past, present, and future, are forgiven once we've placed our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. (Colossians 1:14; Acts 10:43).

16. If at death, our bodies, nervous systems, and brains are dead to all impulses, how could we feel the pain of the flames of hell? Does God inflict this eternity of torment out of sheer malice, because you refused to worship Him? We will be given new, perfect bodies that are prepared for our eternal fate. (Revelation 20:13; Acts 24:15-16). Those who choose Jesus, will dwell with Him in Heaven, and those who choose satan will dwell with him in the flames of hell.. very simple, Uncomplicated, and our choice.

17. If God is omnipotent, why doesn't He just end this game of free will & temptation, and show himself to all of us? God does not provide a continual chain of miraculous signs; He expects us to trust what He'salready done, search the Scriptures, respond to the Holy Spirit within, and live by faith, not by sight (Matthew 16:4; John 20:29). Also, just after Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:16-17)

18. If God & his creations are so perfect, why did he fail so often? He had to inflict suffering on mankind because Adam & Eve defied him by eating fruit from the tree of knowledge of good & evil. Failed! He had to flood the earth 1600 years later, wiping out all but eight people. Failure! He had to confuse languages after Nimrod & the Tower of Babel incident so that they could no longer communicate with each other. Failure! How can this be recorded as perfection? God has a purpose in all He does, and even outcomes are no surprise to Him, for He declares the end from the beginning. Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand (Isaiah 46:9-10). The examples in this question indicate failures of people who chose to defy God, not His failures..

19. If there was only God in the beginning, and He created everything, why would He have created angels that would defy Him? This is what led to Lucifer's desire to share Gods power, challenging His authority, and becoming arch enemy of God and His followers ..another failure! Angels are personal spiritual beings who have intelligence, emotions, & will. This is true of both the good & evil angels (demons). Angels possess intelligence (Matthew 8:29; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Peter 1:12), display emotion (Luke 2:13;James 2:19; Revelation 12:17), & exercise will (Luke 8:28-31; 2 Timothy 2:26; Jude 6). Angels are spirit beings (Hebrews 1:14) without true physical bodies. And though they don't have physical bodies, they're still personalities. God knew that satan would rebel and Adam & Eve would sin in the Garden of Eden. With that knowledge, God still created Lucifer and Adam & Eve because creating them and ordaining the fall was part of His sovereign purpose of manifesting His glory in all it's fullness. Additionally, even though the fall was foreknown and foreordained, our freedom to choose is not violated because our free choices are the means by which God’s will is carried out.

20. Given God's track record of failures, why would anyone trust His 'plan’ ? In John 6:67-69, Jesus had just witnessed the departure of many who had claimed to follow Him, and turned to His apostles asking.. "You do not want to leave too, do you?", & Peter replied, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. In (Psalm 12:6), And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times. (Psalm 19:7), The law of the Lord is perfect. (Proverbs 30:5), Every word of God is pure. Thus, Who are we to accuse God of failures? How could we know that God made a mistake to begin with?

21. Thomas, a disciple of Christ, walked with Him during His time on earth and actually witnessed many miracles performed by Christ, such as raising Lazarus from the dead, etc. Yet, skeptical, Thomas didn't believe Christ arose from the dead, despite the fact that Jesus had told him that he would rise in three days. Thomas wanted physical proof, so Jesus offered it to him by allowing him to touch and feel the wounds on his body. So why won’t God offer proof to us today? Those doubting His existence today, are no different than Thomas. If Thomas had been born a generation later, or even living today, he would have burned in hell for eternity because he didn't believe due to lack of physical proof. Then there was Paul, who was born after the death and ascension of Christ, and throughout his life, he didn't believe that Jesus was the son of God. He spent years persecuting Christians, believing their religion was a dangerous practice. Then 'lo and behold', a flash of light came out of the sky and Jesus Christ appeared, explaining to Paul that he is actually the one true God. Jesus told Paul that he was persecuting the followers of the only true faith, and from then on, Paul was a converted Christian. Again, if God was willing to provide physical proof to Paul, then why won't He do it today? Why won't God show physical proof to those in doubt today? Saul, or Paul as he was later called (see Acts 13), was an example of how God can change those who are seemingly against Him. While in prison, Paul continued praising God, and sharing the truth he'd learned. Through his suffering, Paul realized the outcome of a life lived for Christ. He'd surrendered his life fully, & trusted God completely. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21). As for today.. again, we're not given a continuous chain of miraculous signs, but are expected to trust what He has already done, and live by faith (Matthew 16:4; John 20:29).

22. Christians argue evolution, stating there's no 'half-ape-half-men' here today. So why are there no giants, donkeys that speak, fiery talking serpents, & other mythical creatures described in the Bible?Christians should welcome science that seeks truth, and reject science that put human knowledge above God. Recent scientific studies show that the true genetic divergence between humans and apes is likely closer to 5%. Thus, the over 98% similarity argument is likely an overstatement. Much of science supports the existence and work of God. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” As science discovers more about the universe, additional evidence of creation is discovered. The complexity of DNA, the intricate laws of physics, and the harmony of conditions & chemistry here on earth all serve to support the message of the Bible. “The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'” (Psalm 14:1; 53:1). Also, animals are not capable of speaking, but God, angels, satan, & demons are capable of enabling animals to speak, and create seemingly mythical activities.. see (Genesis3:1) (Numbers 22:16-35) (Revelation12:9)

23. Why did God create our reproductive organs with such an abundance of pleasurable nerve endings if sex out of the scope of pro-creation is sinful? Another set-up? God clearly intended sex in marriage to be pleasurable. First Corinthians 7:3-5 states that we are not to abstain from sex in marriage: "But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. God did fashion us for sex, and created emotions to go with it; so pleasure was intended. God doesn't want us to let satan and his lies prevent us from enjoying our spouses. Nor does He want us to fall for the counterfeit pleasure of sex that satan offers. The result of God's sexual pleasure is real and satisfying; the result of satan's is counterfeit and empty. The Bible states no reason why husbands & wives who agree, should not try oral sex, varied positions, sex toys, etc.

In Hebrews 13:4 we read, "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled." The word for "bed" is this verse is the Greek word koitee, from which we get our English word coitus (sexual intercourse). All that is done for the mutual pleasure of husbands and wives on the marital bed is "honorable." What was a "Thou shalt not" during their courtship becomes a "Thou shalt" in marriage.

24. Why do Christians share the same divorce rate as unbelievers? If Christian marriages are sanctified by God, how could they fail? Hmmm.. interesting. Yet more freedom of choice? The divorce rate among professing Christians is nearly as high as that of the unbelieving world. Note that that their are many professed Christians, who are not, and never were Christians. A Christian is one who has been made a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), & is progressively being transformed into the image of Christ. A true Christian is a person who remains Christian by the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:13, 30; 2 Corinthians 1:22). No one who has truly & fully trusted in Christ as Savior, would ever deny Him. Many professed Christians have not "given diligence to make their calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10). The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16) and that reconciliation and forgiveness should be the marks of a believer’s life (Luke 11:4; Ephesians 4:32). However, God recognizes that divorce will occur, even among believers. A divorced and/or remarried believer is no less loved by God, and He can & often does use even the sinful disobedience of Christians to accomplish great good.

25. Jesus says, “But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me” In Luke chapter 19 verse 27. How do you explain this clear statement that Jesus would have Christians kill all non-believers. Those verses are not actual activities of Jesus, but are His parable (story) of the Ten Minas, which are a variation of His parable of the Talents (Matthew 25;14-30). Both of these parables exhort lazy Christians to apply their faith, and bring forth fruit, else they will be reprimanded.

26. OK, so what's the truth about homosexuality, God, and Heaven? This should be interesting. God does not create people with homosexual desires. The Bible states that like all offenses, people become homosexuals because of sin (Romans 1:24-27), and fundamentally as result of their own choice. People may be born with a greater susceptibility to homosexuality, just as some people are born with greater inclinations to violence and other sins. However, those tendencies to not excuse a person’s choice of sin via conceding to temptation. Otherwise those born with greater susceptibilityto violent tendencies, etc., would also be candidates for justification. In light of modern day consternation, today's society should be reminded of God's warning against judging other's sins, since it's very likely that we are not without sin ourselves. (Matthew 7:2-5) The Bible does not define homosexuality as a greater sin than any other. All sin offends God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

Please see Part 2 ..for 25 answers to 25 MORE questions that many Christians Can't Answer...