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One possibility.
2.) We have found no "missing links" because once they are found, they are no longer called missing links. They are called transitional fossils, and are well-documented and abundant in nature and the fossil record. This includes Australopithecus, Ardipithicus, Darwinius, Apidium, Dorudon, Anchiornis, Eryops, and many more. If you want a full list or a specific tree in bilogony elaborated upon, let me know.
3.) The generally accepted theory of dinosaur extinction involves a meteor impact and global climate change resulting in unsuitable living conditions. And moisture is replenished through the water cycle. The flood is simply not corroborated.
4.) I've not heard any evidence for ID that is valid, if you could provide some I will have the utmost respect for you and your researching capabilities : ). I will assess it as objectively as possible, just as you promised. I appreciate that conviction!
5.) Omnipotence and omniscience are mutually exclusive because:
An omniscient being knows past, present and future. Thus, said being knows when she would intervene in history. Knowing that, it becomes impossible for the deity to change the timeline, because she already knows how she will intervene. If she cannot change the time of her intervention, she is not omnipotent. If she can, her initial knowledge was flawed, and thus she was not fully omniscient.
Captured in prose:
Can an omniscient God, who knows the future, find,
The omnipotence to change his future mind?
-Karen Owens
2. Many have been proven to be fake or just a coincidence.
3. Evidence shows that there is no crater large enough to prove such a meteor existed.
4. The complexity of everything down to it's atomic level shows the odds are for intelligent design. The odds of everything evolving are many many more than a trillion trillion times smaller than the odds of throwing all the separate components of a computer into a box and shaking it, and it becoming a computer.
5. The reason they don't contradict each other is because we don't fully understand how God works. We don't know how he can be both, but we have to trust that he is. It's interesting that we believe it when a scientist tells us the earth is round, yet when God says something we don't understand, we assume it's false. (For the record, I do believe the earth is round) Our human intellect isn't capable of grasping the concept of God.
2.) This is untrue. There have been a few hoaxes, but the majority of transitional fossils are quite valid scientifically.
3.) Except the Chicxulub Crater? The most likely culprit?
4.) The odds of having the specific atoms in their specific places in the specific pillow I am laying on in this specific place on this specific planet in this specific time period are so astronomical it is impossible to calculate them. Under the logic cited above, we must then call this event impossible. But, it is not, because of natural processes that guide/keep the atoms to/in their places. Namely the strong/weak nuclear forces, the ionic and covalent bonds between the atoms, the normal force of the pillow atoms inward on the stuffing, etc etc etc. This is the answer to your probability statement: by chance? Yes, human evolution is unlikely. Through natural selection? Not as unlikely as you might think. The chances are, in fact, 1/1, because we have never seen any possibilities. We must verify there is another possibility of life developing on Earth before we can make a probabilistic calculation. Also, no matter how improbable evolution would be under your view, it makes no difference. It is evidence and objective verification that corroborate a scientific hypothesis, jettisoning it into the status of a theory.
5.) I think this to be a sidestepping of the question. If you do not know God and cannot grasp the concept, don't describe him. If he is beyond description, then don't describe him. If your underlying assumption is that God exists and evolution is false no matter what the evidence says or doesn't say, then there is no fruit to this discussion, and your view becomes unscientific.
We believe in the Earth being round and other scientific findings because we can read peer-reviewed literature and see evidentiary backing for hypotheses.
And I would respectfully disagree : ).
Well, just to have a little fun, there was this kid at our school that said the zombie apocalypse was a prophecy in the Bible. I asked him where it was and he said it was in invisible ink in the blank pages at the end......epic fail...
Seriously, send that kid to a wack shack.
And don't flame just because you don't believe in God.
Although, I would also say to you that while religion isn't necessary for a relationship with the divine, maybe a relationship with the divine is just as unnecessary?
As it stands, it's not there, thus I give the Universe its well-earned respect for housing humanity.
Do you take the Bible literally?
As per good reason not too though, ignoring the many, many scientific objections (which you should definitely not), I think advocacy of slavery is a good reason to reject a source as morally sound:
"However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way." (Leviticus 25:44-46 NLT)
There are many more passages in a similar vein.
"Masters, be just and fair to your slaves. Remember that you also have a Master in heaven." (Colossians 4: 1 NLT)
If, however, it is written by men and not the divine, and just a statement of philosophy, your answer is more than enough explanation.
My response to that is you cannot use societal circumstances to justify things in the Bible unless you agree that the Bible isn't the word of God. If the perfect creator of the Universe wrote the Bible, then what society thought at the time should have no bearing on what's in the Bible.
If, however, the Bible was simply a collection of philosophical stories, then you can use societal circumstance to justify advocacy for slavery.
Two options:
1-Bible does not advocate slavery and was written by men
2-Bible advocates slavery and is written by God
Those are your possibilities.
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
**He
I'm not going to get in a debate with you if you're just going to trash my beliefs. Goodbye!
Or how about the wind? You know it's there because you can feel it and see how it affects the world around it, yet you can't see it. I honestly wish I was further advanced spiritually so I could explain just what it feels like to have God in your life.
Also:
*And
*you're
*I
*God
*I
*Him
To say that everything around us is evidence of a god is to say nothing scientifically or rationally viable. In order to make this claim you would have to first prove the existence of a god. It's a circular argument, thus, untenable.
I've found all these religious 'debates' on this site to be very discouraging and rife with hate. It's just not worth the time or spiritual drainage for me.
You've really made me think, and I think I'll discuss things with you. Feel free to reply here or email me: t_bart2010@yahoo.com
One of the definitions of insanity is believing in things that do not exist, there is no proof that god exists. If somebody believed a kettle created the earth, there is no way to prove or disprove it, but he'd still end up locked away as a nut. But because there are lots of crazy people in the world who are able to convince their children that the god (kettle) is fact then somehow it's ok.
I have nothing against religions, they generally promote good acts. The above is just my belief.
Oh and by the way, making fun of something by making Comments like "He is an imaginary Friend for adults" Does not prove your case.
So.... Lets just stick with the evidence, your opinion doesnt matter.
Evolution is both fact and theory, depending on the definition used.
Fact of Evolution: "The change in allelic frequency in a population over time due to natural selection and genetic drift." Evolution happens and has been directly observed.
Theory of Evolution: The model (Natural Selection, Punc Ec, etc) that explains the observed mechanism.
"Theory" in this case does not mean educated guess or idea, it means well-substantiated working explicatory model of an observed fact set. For an idea to become a "theory" in the scientific sense, it must have an evidentiary mountain to back it up.
Other theories:
Germ Theory
Atomic Theory
The Theory of Gravity
The Theory of Plate Tectonics
Assuming that evolution is true( which it would seem it is)a lion evolves from other creatures. However, if this process of evolution was "God's will" how is that different than simply saying that "God created a Lion".
When Man built the space shuttle, he didn't simply think "space shuttle" and have it appear. It was made through a process.
When reading the Bible, you have to take into account the effect of language on it. People read "God made man" and assume: "poof, then there were people"
With that said, I believe that the aspects of the Bible that have to do with morals are most likely to be accurate. But information like precicely how God created certain creatures was most likely passed down in simplified terms.
One of the most influential people in Christian Theology was St. Augistine. He is the one who came up with the idea that original sin is passed on through intercourse as well as many other aspects of Christianity. He came up with these ideas hundreds of years after Jesus by applying what he knew about the natural world at the time to the scriptures. Maybe it is time to do the same thing again with current science.
Pi will just never, ever equal 3 : P.
1)What I meant about the moral aspects being accurate is that they are accurate in terms of Judo-Christianity. Whether or not they ARE what is actually right or wrong will depend more on what you believe than what can be reasoned.
2)Why disagree with attempting to unify the two? I mean, I could understand having doubts about how well it would work, or how to go about doing it(which is maybe what you meant to say). But why Disagree about trying?
3)Pi is a number used to represent aspects of a circle. Currently we use the base 10 system, meaning that pi is the # 3.14 etc. If the unit system used in Solomon's time was all weirded out then it could be possible for pi in that system to equal an even three. Or it could be possible that the people who translated the Old Testament into Arabic (who came up with the base 10 system)simply didn't know or care enough about mathematics to translate it properly, and simply rounded it off to 3. Its not like the Bible says pi is 87 or anything, a difference of 0.14... isn't that huge considering the amount of languages the Bible has been through. Furthermore, considering that the primary purpose of the Bible is to be a moral guide instead of a mathamatic or scientific one, I'm not suprised that those types of things weren't given the priority by translators or teachers of the time period.
bonus fun fact: the Vatican has joined in on the search for alien life in the universe.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/6536400/The-Vatican-joins-the-search-for-alien-life.html
The output?
None! Because there is no evidence to input in favor of divine existence. Woooo!
"If I were to suggest that between the Earth and Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is an intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however, the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday, and instilled into the minds of children at school, hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor in an earlier time."
That being established, science cannot make comments on the supernatural itself, but can make comments on specific supernatural claims by testing their effect on the natural world.
Ex.
Supernatural claim: YWHW is a God who caused a worldwide flood 4,000 years ago, and created the world around 6,000 years ago.
Scientific test: Since there was not a worldwide flood, and the Earth is MUCH older than that, this specific claim about YWHW must be incorrect. Thus, a God defined is this way does not exist.
As far as the Bible. Again it's a personal opinion so no offence meant to anyone... I just can't see it. I was raised christian and I have read it front to back, 3 versions to be exact. In each, I find flaws, who doesn't? There are bound to be some, we're talking about a book which was scribed originally several years after the fact after being picked apart and selectively chosen by a court of scholars and royals in the at the time, roman empire. Before that it was individual scriptures, scribed by greeks translated from Hebrew into Arabic and then to the greek alphabet. And at that we don't even know if it was the apostles themselves who spoke it to the scribes. I cannot bring myself to believe it as "the word of god" as some would say. I also cannot believe in or follow a book which at one time preaches about forgiveness and equalities, then turns around and punches you in the face by saying you are the greatest sinner and worst being ever. Sure you need something to guide you and set you straight but the rediculous shift is unnecessary and I cannot take that as anything more than religeous controllers trying to keep hold over a captive audience by fearing them into belief. But it just doesn't add up to be something more than words on paper to me. And words on paper are ink and quill. I so no god creation there, just a story.
As to Evolution...
What holes? Give me one and we can discuss, for while there are some things we have yet to understand, there don't seem to be any "holes."
The Big Bang has an amazing amount of evidentiary backing, intelligent design has none. If you would like me to elaborate I will.
Also, omniscience and omnipotence are mutually exclusive qualities: a logical impossibility.
Mutations: This is the driving force for evolution. Evolution cannot happen unless there are changes in the Genetic make-up of an organism. (AKA: Mutations) However, The vast majority of Mutations are harmful and usually kill off the organisms. How then, is life so successful as we see it today?
Also, if we run strictly off of evolutionary teaching, then society would look completely different. We would not have organizations to help the poor and needy. This is because the stronger Humans would prevail, and look out for their own good, leaving the poor and weak to die off. In that mindset, What adolf Hitler did deserves the nobel prize for the speeding up the evolutionary process.
This is far, far off-base. Evolution says nothing about personal philosophy. Reciprocative tendencies are, in fact, selected for: http://weber.ucsd.edu/~jmoore/publications/Recip.html.
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Following your above logic, this means that "Gravityists" would not have planes or Gymnastics. Humans have evolved to intrinsically possess an aversion to murder, harming others, and cheating others. Why do I not murder? It makes me sick: there is no way my brain or body will ever let me. This is because of biology.
Finally, even if the majority of mutations were harmful to an organism, it would create a form of super-evolution. Let's say, to use an extreme, 99% of mutations are fatal, none are neutral, and 50% of a population mutate every generation. If the 1% of mutations that is beneficial has some effect on helping an organism survive the next generation, we have super evolution. This means, 50% of the population will mutate, but only 1% of 50% will mutate beneficially. .5% of the population will survive with a beneficial mutation, 49.5% will die due to mutation, and 50% will not mutate. The next go around, that .5% will survive, along with another .5%. The population with the beneficial mutation grows radically fast as opposed to the kind of evolution that is seen in nature.
I just don't think it has many good moral lessons. So I was curious as to your take, that's all.
it was a mafia scam years ago ( a get rich quick method)
and science has explained everything that was "made" by "god"
Am I right?
I would just say it's confusing to many, and sometimes it's hard to tell the wackjobs from the jokesters in life.
If you discard evolution as a "theory" and think theories are jokes. Well, think again. Do you beleive that gravity is real? Guess what, gravity is a THEORY, with all evidence for it, and not against it. Everything that surrounds us and is part of education, science, planets, ect, are all theories. And so is evolution.
I believe that religion is something that should be taught to teach morals and how society works, with rules and such. But never tought in schools, such as "creationism". Science should always come before religion due to the fact that we rely on scientist everyday, why put them aside for something that is SO FAR proven 100%?
And once again, lets stick to facts. Your opinion doesnt matter, Nor does it change reality.
2. None of the writers seem to have been contemporaneous to the life of Jesus, giving them next to no credence regarding historicity.
2. Development and improvement of wings in the avian population.
3. Improvement of antibodies.
4. The development of Nylonase.
5. Sexual reproduction.
6. Larger brain.
7. Opposable thumbs.
8. Inner ear liquid to guide balance.
9. Self-healing processes.
10. Fins for the aquatic population.
And countless more. Now please answer my objections instead of ignoring them. Namely the first three paragraphs. Thanks.
I am a Christian. Now here's the funny part. I would have to say that I do believe in evolution. Many critisizers of me say that how can you do that but take the bible litterally? It's really quite simple. To the all-knowing, super powerfull god how long is a day? The seven days of creation to god could have reallly been 4.5 million years.
The "objections" I wish to be answered are far above, in a former conversation Bobbifer and I were having.
I am unquestionably against Creationism and its unscientific foundation : ).
Sorry if I was confusing.
But if you reject a literal biblical interpretation, and treat the 6 days as... well... not 6 days, you could reconcile the two. Yes : ).
1. The mutations necessary to progress a single photo-sensitive patch of tissue to a full-fledged eye.
2. Development and improvement of wings in the avian population.
3. Improvement of antibodies.
4. The development of Nylonase.
5. Sexual reproduction.
6. Larger brain.
7. Opposable thumbs.
8. Inner ear liquid to guide balance.
9. Self-healing processes.
10. Fins for the aquatic population.
All of the above are beneficial mutations that occur at the time of reproduction for individual organisms. I am fully aware that DNA does not mutate (in any kind of... normal circumstance) during the lifetime of an organism. I do not understand how my above list does not answer your query. These, above, are examples of mutations bringing new alleles into a population through a change in DNA that takes place during reproduction.
For a more in-depth explanation of Nylonase specifically: http://ncse.com/cej/5/2/new-proteins-without-gods-help
/>
As to something else: Micro and Macro evolution are the exact same thing. The exact same process. It's either all or nothing in the evolution regard : ).
Some people can be overly-religious... when my friend said he was going to be Buddhist, and still in a Catholic private school, my friends tried to convince him otherwise. When he walked up to them, they would start praying, thinking that it would help somehow. I ended up apologizing for them, and then left them... I had to explain to them that they really can't change someones mind by force, and that they should have just accepted it.
Don't be overly religious. I believe in a Heaven, nothing else.
These are just my opinions, no one elses. I mean no offense to anyone by saying this stuff, it's just my beliefs.
You know what? I cahnge my mind. I believe in the Almighty Flying Spaghetti Monster. All worship his noodlyness, and hope that he will bless you by touching you with one of his noodly appendages. :)
"This discussion was supposed to be about the Bible, but you guys talked about God. I believe in God, science doesn't have all of the answers, and we have freedom of religion."
Alright, valid. However, the discussion includes the veracity of the text, which is ultimately based upon the foundational question: "Is there a God?" Thus our discussion is easily under the correct categorical umbrella.
Now, where is the design you see? Can we have a specific example?
I believe in a higher power and that we reincarnate. I've experienced far too many things in my life not to believe. Beyond those two beliefs, I know nothing of god or purpose. I grew up in a southern baptist church that left something in me wanting. I live by the rule to do unto others, love and cherish every soul because we are all connect...and I believe that deep down we all feel it (the connection). And not just humans, but we are connected to every fiber of this earth...this universe. I think religion is a kind of social posturing and that all paths lead to god, in that religion at one level teaches us to behave in an unnatural way but the fundamentals are speaking of one god.
The one specific experience that changed the very foundation of my belief system is far too personal and I'm sorry but I can not share it. It led to the upheaval of my entire life.
i like look at science as way for people to try and understand gods working and making.
: D
Being a Follower of Christ, how do you feel about the Old Testament, in light of verses like Luke 16:17-18?
If you'd rather not discuss, I more than understand. Thanks.
Another thing is that most Christians believe that there is minor sins and major sins. (I was told this by a christian them self) sin is sin no difference in the punishment, so saying a lie is just has bad has killing someone. Most Christians decide (yet again) to make some sins minor because they're ether so easy to commit or that everyone does them. Which is yet again not being responsible. All i have to say now is come at me
Who incited David to count the fighting men of Israel?
(a) God did (2 Samuel 24: 1)
(b) Satan did (I Chronicles 2 1:1)
In that count how many fighting men were found in Israel?
(a) Eight hundred thousand (2 Samuel 24:9)
(b) One million, one hundred thousand (IChronicles 21:5)
How many fighting men were found in Judah?
(a) Five hundred thousand (2 Samuel 24:9)
(b) Four hundred and seventy thousand (I Chronicles 21:5)
God sent his prophet to threaten David with how many years of famine?
(a) Seven (2 Samuel 24:13)
(b) Three (I Chronicles 21:12)
How old was Ahaziah when he began to rule over Jerusalem?
(a) Twenty-two (2 Kings 8:26)
(b) Forty-two (2 Chronicles 22:2)
How old was Jehoiachin when he became king of Jerusalem?
(a) Eighteen (2 Kings 24:8)
(b) Eight (2 Chronicles 36:9)
How long did he rule over Jerusalem?
(a) Three months (2 Kings 24:8)
(b) Three months and ten days (2 Chronicles 36:9)
The chief of the mighty men of David lifted up his spear and killed how many men at one time?
(a) Eight hundred (2 Samuel 23:8)
(b) Three hundred (I Chronicles 11: 11)
When did David bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem? Before defeating the Philistines or after?
(a) After (2 Samuel 5 and 6)
(b) Before (I Chronicles 13 and 14)
How many pairs of clean animals did God tell Noah to take into the Ark?
(a) Two (Genesis 6:19, 20)
(b) Seven (Genesis 7:2). But despite this last instruction only two pairs went into the ark (Genesis 7:8-9)
When David defeated the King of Zobah, how many horsemen did he capture?
(a) One thousand and seven hundred (2 Samuel 8:4)
(b) Seven thousand (I Chronicles 18:4)
How many stalls for horses did Solomon have?
(a) Forty thousand (I Kings 4:26)
(b) Four thousand (2 chronicles 9:25)
In what year of King Asa's reign did Baasha, King of Israel die?
(a) Twenty-sixth year (I Kings 15:33 - 16:8)
(b) Still alive in the thirty-sixth year (2 Chronicles 16:1)
How many overseers did Solomon appoint for the work of building the temple?
(a) Three thousand six hundred (2 Chronicles 2:2)
(b) Three thousand three hundred (I Kings 5:16)
Solomon built a facility containing how many baths?
(a) Two thousand (1 Kings 7:26)
(b) Over three thousand (2 Chronicles 4:5)
Of the Israelites who were freed from the Babylonian captivity, how many were the children of Pahrath-Moab?
(a) Two thousand eight hundred and twelve (Ezra 2:6)
(b) Two thousand eight hundred and eighteen (Nehemiah 7:11)
How many were the children of Zattu?
(a) Nine hundred and forty-five (Ezra 2:8)
(b) Eight hundred and forty-five (Nehemiah 7:13)
How many were the children of Azgad?
(a) One thousand two hundred and twenty-two (Ezra 2:12)
(b) Two thousand three hundred and twenty-two (Nehemiah 7:17)
How many were the children of Adin?
(a) Four hundred and fifty-four (Ezra 2:15)
(b) Six hundred and fifty-five (Nehemiah 7:20)
How many were the children of Hashum?
(a) Two hundred and twenty-three (Ezra 2:19)
(b) Three hundred and twenty-eight (Nehemiah 7:22)
How many were the children of Bethel and Ai?
(a) Two hundred and twenty-three (Ezra 2:28)
(b) One hundred and twenty-three (Nehemiah 7:32)
Ezra 2:64 and Nehemiah 7:66 agree that the total number of the whole assembly was 42,360. Yet the numbers do not add up to anything close. The totals obtained from each book is as follows:
(a) 29,818 (Ezra)
(b) 31,089 (Nehemiah)
How many singers accompanied the assembly?
(a) Two hundred (Ezra 2:65)
(b) Two hundred and forty-five (Nehemiah 7:67)
What was the name of King Abijah’s mother?
(a) Michaiah, daughter of Uriel of Gibeah (2 Chronicles 13:2)
(b) Maachah, daughter of Absalom (2 Chronicles 11:20) But Absalom had only one daughter whose name was Tamar (2 Samuel 14:27)
Did Joshua and the Israelites capture Jerusalem?
(a) Yes (Joshua 10:23, 40)
(b) No (Joshua 15:63)
Who was the father of Joseph, husband of Mary?
(a) Jacob (Matthew 1:16)
(b) Hell (Luke 3:23)
Jesus descended from which son of David?
(a) Solomon (Matthew 1:6)
(b) Nathan(Luke3:31)
Who was the father of Shealtiel?
(a) Jechoniah (Matthew 1:12)
(b) Neri’ (Luke 3:27)
Which son of Zerubbabel was an ancestor of Jesus Christ?
(a) Abiud (Matthew 1: 13)
(b) Rhesa (Luke 3:27) But the seven sons of Zerubbabel are as follows: i.Meshullam, ii. Hananiah, iii. Hashubah, iv. Ohel, v.Berechiah, vi. Hasadiah, viii. Jushabhesed (I Chronicles 3:19, 20). The names Abiud and Rhesa do not fit in anyway.
Who was the father of Uzziah?
(a) Joram (Matthew 1:8)
(b) Amaziah (2 Chronicles 26:1)
Who as the father of Jechoniah?
(a) Josiah (Matthew 1:11)
(b) Jeholakim (I Chronicles 3:16)
How many generations were there from the Babylonian exile until Christ?
(a) Matthew says fourteen (Matthew 1:17)
(b) But a careful count of the generations reveals only thirteen (see Matthew 1: 12-16)
Who was the father of Shelah?
(a) Cainan (Luke 3:35-36)
(b) Arphaxad (Genesis II: 12)
Was John the Baptist Elijah who was to come?
(a) Yes (Matthew II: 14, 17:10-13)
(b) No(John 1:19-21)
Would Jesus inherit David’s throne?
(a) Yes. So said the angel (Luke 1:32)
(b) No, since he is a descendant of Jehoiakim (see Matthew 1: I 1, I Chronicles 3:16). And Jehoiakim was cursed by God so that none of his descendants can sit upon David’s throne (Jeremiah 36:30)
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on how many animals?
(a) One - a colt (Mark 11:7; cf Luke 19:3 5). “And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments on it; and he sat upon it.”
(b) Two - a colt and an ass (Matthew 21:7). “They brought the ass and the colt and put their garments on them and he sat thereon.”
How did Simon Peter find out that Jesus was the Christ?
(a) By a revelation from heaven (Matthew 16:17)
(b) His brother Andrew told him (John 1:41)
Where did Jesus first meet Simon Peter and Andrew?
(a) By the sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:18-22)
(b) On the banks of river Jordan (John 1:42). After that, Jesus decided to go to Galilee (John 1:43)
When Jesus met Jairus was Jairus’ daughter already dead?
(a) Yes. Matthew 9:18 quotes him as saying, “My daughter has just died.”
(b) No. Mark 5:23 quotes him as saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death.”
Did Jesus allow his disciples to keep a staff on their journey?
(a) Yes(Mark6:8)
(b) No (Matthew 10:9; Luke 9:3)
Did Herod think that Jesus was John the Baptist?
(a) Yes (Matthew 14:2; Mark 6:16)
(b) No (Luke 9:9)
Did John the Baptist recognize Jesus before his baptism?
(a) Yes (Matthew 3:13-14)
(b) No (John 1:32,33)
Did John the Baptist recognize Jesus after his baptism?
(a) Yes (John 1:32, 33)
(b) No (Matthew 11:2)
According to the Gospel of John, what did Jesus say about bearing his own witness?
(a) “If I bear witness to myself, my testimony is not true” (John 5:3 1)
(b) “Even if I do bear witness to myself, my testimony is true” (John 8:14)
When Jesus entered Jerusalem did he cleanse the temple that same day?
(a) Yes (Matthew 21:12)
(b) No. He went into the temple and looked around, but since it was very late he did nothing. Instead, he went to Bethany to spend the night and returned the next morning to cleanse the temple (Mark I 1:1- 17).
The Gospels say that Jesus cursed a fig tree. Did the tree wither at once?
(a) Yes. (Matthew 21:19)
(b) No. It withered overnight (Mark II: 20)
Did Judas kiss Jesus?
(a) Yes (Matthew 26:48-50)
(b) No. Judas could not get close enough to Jesus to kiss him (John 18:3-12)
What did Jesus say about Peter’s denial?
(a) “The cock will not crow till you have denied me three times” (John 13:38).
(b) “Before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times” (Mark 14:30) . When the cock crowed once, the three denials were not yet complete (see Mark 14:72). Therefore prediction (a) failed.
Did Jesus bear his own cross?
(a) Yes (John 19:17)
(b) No (Matthew 27:31-32)
Did Jesus die before the curtain of the temple was torn?
(a) Yes(Matthew27:50-5 1;MarklS:37-38)
(b) No. After the curtain was torn, then Jesus crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last (Luke 23:45-46)
Did Jesus say anything secretly?
(a) No. “I have said nothing secretly” (John 18:20)
(b) Yes. “He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything” (Mark 4:34). The disciples asked him “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (Matthew 13: 1 0-11)
Where was Jesus at the sixth hour on the day of the crucifixion?
(a) On the cross (Mark 15:23)
(b) In Pilate’s court (John 19:14)
The gospels say that two thieves were crucified along with Jesus. Did both thieves mock Jesus?
(a) Yes (Mark 15:32)
(b) No. One of them mocked Jesus, the other defended Jesus (Luke 23:43)
Did Jesus ascend to Paradise the same day of the crucifixion?
(a) Yes. He said to the thief who defended him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43)
(b) No. He said to Mary Magdelene two days later, “I have not yet ascended to the Father” (John 20:17)
When Paul was on the road to Damascus he saw a light and heard a voice. Did those who were with him hear the voice?
(a) Yes(Acts9:7)
(b) No(Acts22:9)
When Paul saw the light he fell to the ground. Did his traveling companions also fall to the ground?
(a) Yes (Acts 26:14)
(b) No (Acts 9:7)
Did the voice spell out on the spot what Paul’s duties were to be?
(a) Yes (Acts 26:16-18)
(b) No. The voice commanded Paul to go into the city of Damascus and there he will be told what he must do. (Acts9:7;22: 10)
When the Israelites dwelt in Shittin they committed adultery with the daughters of Moab. God struck them with a plague. How many people died in that plague?
(a) Twenty-four thousand (Numbers 25:1 and 9)
(b) Twenty-three thousand (I Corinthians 10:8)
How many members of the house of Jacob came to Egypt?
(a) Seventy souls (Genesis 4&27)
(b) Seventy-five souls (Acts 7:14)
What did Judas do with the blood money he received for betraying Jesus?
(a) He bought a field (Acts 1: 18)
(b) He threw all of it into the temple and went away. The priests could not put the blood money into the temple treasury, so they used it to buy a field to bury strangers (Matthew 27:5)
How did Judas die?
(a) After he threw the money into the temple he went away and hanged himself (Matthew 27:5)
(b) After he bought the field with the price of his evil deed he fell headlong and burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out (Acts 1:18)
Why is the field called “Field of Blood”?
(a) Because the priests bought it with the blood money (Matthew 27:8)
(b) Because of the bloody death of Judas therein (Acts 1:19)
Who is a ransom for whom?
(a) “The Son of Man came...to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). “Christ Jesus who gave himself as a ransom for all... “(I Timothy 2:5-6)
(b) “The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, and the faithless for the upright” (Proverbs 21:18)
Is the law of Moses useful?
(a) Yes. “All scripture is... profitable...” (2 Timothy 3:16)
(b) No. “. . . A former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness... “(Hebrews 7:18)
What was the exact wording on the cross?
(a) “This is Jesus the King of the Jews” (Matthew 27:37)
(b) “The King of the Jews” (Mark 15:26)
(c) “This is the King of the Jews” (Luke 23:38)
(d) “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (John 19:19)
Did Herod want to kill John the Baptist?
(a) Yes (Matthew 14:5)
(b) No. It was Herodias, the wife of Herod who wanted to kill him. But Herod knew that he was a righteous man and kept him safe (Mark 6:20)
Who was the tenth disciple of Jesus in the list of twelve?
(a) Thaddaeus (Matthew 10: 1-4; Mark 3:13 -19)
(b) Judas son of James is the corresponding name in Luke’s gospel (Luke 6:12-16)
Jesus saw a man sitat the tax collector’s office and called him to be his disciple. What was his name?
(a) Matthew (Matthew 9:9)
(b) Levi (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27)
Was Jesus crucified on the daytime before the Passover meal or the daytime after?
(a) After (Mark 14:12-17)
(b) Before. Before the feast of the Passover (John 1) Judas went out at night (John 13:30). The other disciples thought he was going out to buy supplies to prepare for the Passover meal (John 13:29). When Jesus was arrested, the Jews did not enter Pilate’s judgment hail because they wanted to stay clean to eat the Passover (John 18:28). When the judgment was pronounced against Jesus, it was about the sixth hour on the day of Preparation for the Passover (John 19:14)
Did Jesus pray to The Father to prevent the crucifixion?
(a) Yes. (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42)
(b) No. (John 12:27)
In the gospels which say that Jesus prayed to avoid the cross, how many times did ‘he move away from his disciples to pray?
(a) Three (Matthew 26:36-46 and Mark 14:32-42)
(b) One. No opening is left for another two times. (Luke 22:39-46)
Matthew and Mark agree that Jesus went away and prayed three times. What were the words of the second prayer?
(a) Mark does not give the words but he says that the words were the same as the first prayer (Mark 14:3 9)
(b) Matthew gives us the words, and we can see that they are not the same as in the first (Matthew 26:42)
What did the centurion say when Jesus dies?
(a) “Certainly this man was innocent” (Luke 23:47)
(b) “Truly this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39)
When Jesus said “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me ? ” in what language did he speak?
(a) Hebrew: the words are “Eloi, Eloi …..“(Matthew 27:46)
(b) Aramaic: the words are “Eloi, Eloi ….. “(Mark 15:34)
According to the gospels, what were the last words of Jesus before he died?
(a) “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46)
(b) "It is finished" (John 19:30).
When Jesus entered Capernaum he healed the slave of a centurion. Did the centurion come personally to request Jesus for this?
(a) Yes (Matthew 8:5)
(b) No. He sent some elders of the Jews and his friends (Luke 7:3,6)
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(a) Adam was told that if and when he eats the forbidden fruit he would die the same day (Genesis 2:17)
(b) Adam ate the fruit and went on to live to a ripe old age of 930 years (Genesis 5:5)
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(a) God decided that the life-span of humans will be limited to 120 years (Genesis 6:3)
(b) Many people born after that lived longer than 120. Arpachshad lived 438 years. His son Shelah lived 433 years. His son Eber lived 464 years, etc. (Genesis 11:12-16)
Apart from Jesus did anyone else ascend to heaven?
(a) No (John 3:13)
(b) Yes. “And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11)
Who was high priest when David went into the house of God and ate the consecrated bread?
(a) Abiathar (Mark 2:26)
(b) Ahimelech, the father of Abiathar (I Samuel 1:1; 22:20)
Was Jesus’ body wrapped in spices before burial in accordance with Jewish burial customs?
(a) Yes and his female disciples witnessed his burial (John 19:39-40)
(b) No. Jesus was simply wrapped in a linen shroud. Then the women bought and prepared spices “so that they may go and anoint him [Jesus)” (Mark 16: 1)
When did the women buy the spices?
(a) After “the Sabbath was past” (Mark 16:1)
(b) Before the Sabbath. The women “prepared spices and ointments.” Then, “on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment” (Luke 23:55 to 24:1)
At what time of day did the women visit the tomb?
(a) “Toward the dawn” (Matthew 28: 1)
(b) “When the sun had risen” (Mark 16:2)
What was the purpose for which the women went to the tomb?
(a) To anoint Jesus’ body with spices (Mark 16: 1; Luke 23:55 to 24: 1)
(b) To see the tomb. Nothing about spices here (Matthew 28: 1)
(c) For no specified reason. In this gospel the wrapping with spices had been done before the Sabbath (John 20: 1)
A large stone was placed at the entrance of the tomb. Where was the stone when the women arrived?
(a) They saw that the stone was “Rolled back” (Mark 16:4) They found the stone “rolled away from the tomb” (Luke 24:2) They saw that “the stone had been taken away from the tomb” (John 20:1)
(b) As the women approached, an angel descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and conversed with the women. Matthew made the women witness the spectacular rolling away of the stone (Matthew 28:1-6)
Did anyone tell the women what happened to Jesus’ body?
(a) Yes. “A young man in a white robe” (Mark 16:5). “Two men ... in dazzling apparel” later described as angels (Luke 24:4 and 24:23). An angel - the one who rolled back the stone (Matthew 16:2). In each case the women were told that Jesus had risen from the dead (Matthew 28:7; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:5 footnote)
(b) No. Mary met no one and returned saying, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him” (John 20:2)
When did Mary Magdelene first meet the resurrected Jesus? And how did she react?
(a) Mary and the other women met Jesus on their way back from their first and only visit to the tomb. They took hold of his feet and worshipped him (Matthew 28:9)
(b) On her second visit to the tomb Mary met Jesus just outside the tomb. When she saw Jesus she did not recognize him. She mistook him for the gardener. She still thinks that Jesus’ body is laid to rest somewhere and she demands to know where. But when Jesus said her name she at once recognized him and called him “Teacher.” Jesus said to her, “Do not hold me...” (John 20:11 to 17)
What was Jesus’ instruction for his disciples?
(a) “Tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me” (Matthew 2 8: 10)
(b) “Go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17)
When did the disciples return to Galilee?
(a) Immediately, because when they saw Jesus in Galilee “some doubted” (Matthew 28:17). This period of uncertainty should not persist
(b) After at least 40 days. That evening the disciples were still in Jerusalem (Luke 24:3 3). Jesus appeared to them there and told them, stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). He was appearing to them “during forty days” (Acts 1:3), and “charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise ... “(Acts 1:4)
To whom did the Midianites sell Joseph?
(a) “To the Ishmaelites” (Genesis 37:28)
(b) “To Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh” (Genesis 37:36)
Who brought Joseph to Egypt?
(a) The Ishmaelites bought Joseph and then “took Joseph to Egypt” (Genesis 37:28)
(b) “The Midianites had sold him in Egypt” (Genesis 37:36)
(c) Joseph said to his brothers “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt” (Genesis 45:4)
Does God change his mind?
(a) Yes. “The word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I repent that I have made Saul King...” (I Samuel 15:10 to 11)
(b) No. God “will not lie or repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent” (I Samuel 15:29)
(c) Yes. “And the Lord repented that he had made Saul King over Israel” (I Samuel 15:35). Notice that the above three quotes are all from the same chapter of the same book! In addition, the Bible shows that God repented on several other occasions:
i. “The Lord was sorry that he made man” (Genesis 6:6)
“I am sorry that I have made them” (Genesis 6:7)
ii. “And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people” (Exodus 32:14).
iii. (Lots of other such references).
The Bible says that for each miracle Moses and Aaron demonstrated the magicians did the same by their secret arts. Then comes the following feat:
(a) Moses and Aaron converted all the available water into blood (Exodus 7:20-21)
(b) The magicians did the same (Exodus 7:22). This is impossible, since there would have been no water left to convert into blood.
Who killed Goliath?
(a) David (I Samuel 17:23, 50)
(b) Elhanan (2 Samuel 21:19)
Who killed Saul?
(a) “Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.... Thus Saul died... (I Samuel 31:4-6)
(b) An Amalekite slew him (2 Samuel 1:1- 16)
Does every man sin?
(a) Yes. “There is no man who does not sin” (I Kings 8:46; see also 2 Chronicles 6:36; Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20; and I John 1:810)
(b) No. True Christians cannot possibly sin, because they are the children of God. “Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God.. (I John 5:1). “We should be called children of God; and so we are” (I John 3: 1). “He who loves is born of God” (I John 4:7). “No one born of God commits sin; for God’s nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God” (I John 3:9). But, then again, Yes! “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (I John 1:8)
Who will bear whose burden?
(a) “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2)
(b) “Each man will have to bear his own load” (Galatians 6:5)
How many disciples did Jesus appear to after his resurrection?
(a) Twelve (I Corinthians 15:5)
(b) Eleven (Matthew 27:3-5 and Acts 1:9-26, see also Matthew 28:16; Mark 16:14 footnote; Luke 24:9; Luke 24:3 3)
Where was Jesus three days after his baptism?
(a) After his baptism, “the spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days ... (Mark 1:12-13)
(b) Next day after the baptism, Jesus selected two disciples. Second day: Jesus went to Galilee - two more disciples. Third day: Jesus was at a wedding feast in Cana in Galilee (see John 1:35; 1:43; 2:1-11)
Was baby Jesus’ life threatened in Jerusalem?
(a) Yes, so Joseph fled with him to Egypt and stayed there until Herod died (Matthew 2:13 23)
(b) No. The family fled nowhere. They calmly presented the child at the Jerusalem temple according to the Jewish customs and returned to Galilee (Luke 2:21-40)
When Jesus walked on water how did the disciples respond?
(a) They worshipped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33)
(b) “They were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened” (Mark 6:51-52)
Who was the father of Joseph, husband of Mary?
(a) Jacob (Matthew 1:16)
(b) Hell (Luke 3:23)
Response: This does seem like a contradiction at first glance, however, you are not taking into consideration the Jewish laws at the time. Both Heli (Not Hell), and Jacob were the father of Joseph. If you read closely in Matthew 1:16 - notice it uses the word Begat, which means that he was the child's biological father. However, Mary was was married prior to that. Her first Husband was Heli. Heli had passed away making Mary a widow, and by Jewish law, the closest male family member on the mans side that is willing to take on the responsibility of taking care of the widow is to marry her. Now Jacob did this, being closely related, and Mary had a son with him named Joseph. Now Jacob fathered the Child, but legally, Heli is still the father. So although at first glance it seems as a contradiction, both verses are correct. :)