cyberjosh
Member
I remember a couple years ago my Youth Pastor did the most peculiar thing one night when he first walked into the youth sanctuary. He got up on the microphone and started attacking Christian claims as best he could with scepticisms and questions and arguement. We caught on quickly as he went from person to person singling them out for answers that he was testing us. After many stammerings and dumb-foundedness and a few meager defenses (apparently mine wasn't even good enough because he kept asking "Well why do you think that?") he reverted to normal and quoted 1 Peter 3:15 which says to always be ready to give a defense (apologia - Apologetics) for the hope that you have in you. It was very effective sermon he preached after that on "Why we beieve what we believe."
So for those brave enough, try to exploit the weakest or hardest points to answer in your own doctrines and ideas by using an Opposing Statment (we'll call it) and then attempt to answer with your own Affirmative Statement, giving an adequate defense.
I'll attempt to start out and see what we end up with:
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Opposing Statement: Jehovah cannot possibly be a loving God if he orders the slaughter of innocent women and children like he did in the Old Testament. They weren't even given a chance to convert or surrender, they were slaughtered mercilessly for nothing. Jehovah is just a primitive war God of the Hebrews used to justify the Hebrew's violent nature and they deified him. The fabrications about love couldn't possibly be true. How could this so-called "loving" diety order that a woman be stoned if she was raped just because she didn't scream! I can't belive that, that's completely horrible and disgusting. And why does God let people suffer if he is so loving? Why does the American get food, shelter, and comfort while those over in Africa starve to death? Where is this loving God?
Affirmative Statement: God is infact a very loving God though his righteousness and justice are firm and undefilable. The slaughter of these so-called innocents are not so innocent. When God ordered the killing of every man, woman, and child in the Promised land it was because they refused to turn from their godless, wicked ways regardless of the time he gave them. God was very patient with them and gave them more than enough time to repent. He had mercy on them. When God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham's ancestors he told Abraham, "But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. (Genesis 15:16)" The Amorites ruled the land of Canaan and God was telling Abraham that he was giving them time (the entire span of the Israelite's servitute in Egypt - 430 years) to repent, because their iniquity was not yet full, meaning they still had a chance to turn from their ways. And they did have a chance to convert and change their hearts. The inhabitants of the land when they confronted Joshua admitted that they knew that the land had been promised to them and that the terror and fame of the LORD had gone before them and that they had heard of all the wonders that he did for them in Egypt, so that their hearts melted in fear (Joshua 2:9, 9:9, and 9:24), yet they did not repent. They brought it upon themselves. As for the children if they had reached the age of accountability then they were guilty for God said that he had made plainly seen the things of Himself unto man (Romans 1:19-21).
As for the law about the woman who was raped: the decree that she should be stoned was on the condition that she did not "cry out" in protest, which means that she would have been passive to a great evil or was actually enjoying it and using rape as an excuse for sexual promiscuity. The camp of God must remain pure and there can be no defilement in it.
As for suffering, though it may seem hard God can use suffering for his purposes. Through our suffering God's power is made manifest and God heals. Sometimes sin of a people or nation bring misfortune to others, but God says that he takes care of those that are his. At other times the suffering can be Satan's doing by God's passive judgement (like he did with Job), but those who call on God through trial, God will answer them like he did Job. God doesn't wish us to suffer but sometimes it is necessary and at other times an unfortunate by-product of the sinful world we live in. We can only hope and trust in God to deliver us.
So for those brave enough, try to exploit the weakest or hardest points to answer in your own doctrines and ideas by using an Opposing Statment (we'll call it) and then attempt to answer with your own Affirmative Statement, giving an adequate defense.
I'll attempt to start out and see what we end up with:
--------------------------------------------------------
Opposing Statement: Jehovah cannot possibly be a loving God if he orders the slaughter of innocent women and children like he did in the Old Testament. They weren't even given a chance to convert or surrender, they were slaughtered mercilessly for nothing. Jehovah is just a primitive war God of the Hebrews used to justify the Hebrew's violent nature and they deified him. The fabrications about love couldn't possibly be true. How could this so-called "loving" diety order that a woman be stoned if she was raped just because she didn't scream! I can't belive that, that's completely horrible and disgusting. And why does God let people suffer if he is so loving? Why does the American get food, shelter, and comfort while those over in Africa starve to death? Where is this loving God?
Affirmative Statement: God is infact a very loving God though his righteousness and justice are firm and undefilable. The slaughter of these so-called innocents are not so innocent. When God ordered the killing of every man, woman, and child in the Promised land it was because they refused to turn from their godless, wicked ways regardless of the time he gave them. God was very patient with them and gave them more than enough time to repent. He had mercy on them. When God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham's ancestors he told Abraham, "But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. (Genesis 15:16)" The Amorites ruled the land of Canaan and God was telling Abraham that he was giving them time (the entire span of the Israelite's servitute in Egypt - 430 years) to repent, because their iniquity was not yet full, meaning they still had a chance to turn from their ways. And they did have a chance to convert and change their hearts. The inhabitants of the land when they confronted Joshua admitted that they knew that the land had been promised to them and that the terror and fame of the LORD had gone before them and that they had heard of all the wonders that he did for them in Egypt, so that their hearts melted in fear (Joshua 2:9, 9:9, and 9:24), yet they did not repent. They brought it upon themselves. As for the children if they had reached the age of accountability then they were guilty for God said that he had made plainly seen the things of Himself unto man (Romans 1:19-21).
As for the law about the woman who was raped: the decree that she should be stoned was on the condition that she did not "cry out" in protest, which means that she would have been passive to a great evil or was actually enjoying it and using rape as an excuse for sexual promiscuity. The camp of God must remain pure and there can be no defilement in it.
As for suffering, though it may seem hard God can use suffering for his purposes. Through our suffering God's power is made manifest and God heals. Sometimes sin of a people or nation bring misfortune to others, but God says that he takes care of those that are his. At other times the suffering can be Satan's doing by God's passive judgement (like he did with Job), but those who call on God through trial, God will answer them like he did Job. God doesn't wish us to suffer but sometimes it is necessary and at other times an unfortunate by-product of the sinful world we live in. We can only hope and trust in God to deliver us.
