The list below was sent to me by an atheist who does not believe in God. He thinks it impossible and unreasonable to believe the following. I ask him if it was “reasonable” to believe that all matter came from nothing, or has always existed. Also, why do humans progress, create, and reason, while animals never change their behavior? The beaver builds his dam, the birds build their nest, and monkeys still swing in trees. Why do they never progress? I never received an answer to my questions, and will not. If one can accept, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. There will be no issue with the following.
*I take it, then, that as a Bible-believing Christian you believe all of the following are true, actual, factual (let me know one way or the other, please):
* there was light (“night and day”) before there was a sun GE 1.3-5, 14-19-No
* plants began to grow before there was sunlight GE 1.12, 16-No
* every plant and tree which yield seed (including hemlock, buckeye pod, nightshade, and oleander) are safe to eat GE 1.29-No
* there was a Garden of Eden GE 2.8-15-Yes
* there was an Adam GE 1.27, 4.1, 5.1 and an Eve GE 2.22-Yes
* there was a Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil GE 2.17-Yes
* there was a Serpent who spoke human language (presumably Hebrew) GE 3.1-5-No
* there was a Tree of Eternal Life GE 3.24–Yes
* there was a cherubim with a flaming sword guarding the way to the Garden of Eden GE 3.24-Yes
* Cain built and populated a whole city in only two generations (GE 4.17)-Yes
* giants (Nephalim) were on the earth before the Flood GE 6.4-Yes
* there was a Flood covering the entire earth at one time to a depth of 20+ feet above the highest mountain GE 7.17-19-Yes
* there was a Noah’s Ark GE 6.15-Yes
* there were still giants on the earth after the Flood NU 13.33-Yes
* “God” ate solid food with Abraham GE 18.1, 7-8-Yes
* Jacob altered the genetic characteristics of cattle by letting them view a striped rod GE 30.37-43-No
* “God” took part in a wrestling match with Jacob (and won by injuring his hip) GE 32.24-30-Yes
* An “angel of the Lord” appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush that was nevertheless “not burned up.” EX 3.2 “God” then called to Moses “out of the bush,” and spoke to him. The two then carried on a conversation. EX 3.4-Yes
* the Lord killed all the first-born of Egypt and there was not a house where there was not at least one dead (this means that there was not a house in Egypt that did not include at least one first-born—a most unusual situation) EX 12.30-No
* a donkey saw an angel, recognized it as such, and then spoke human language (presumably Hebrew) to his master NU22.21-30-No
* “God” obliged Joshua by making the sun and the moon stand still (so that he could finish his battle by daylight) JS10.12-14-Yes
* Samson lost his strength as a result of having his head shaved JG 16.17-22-Yes
* Solomon’s temple was only about ninety feet long by thirty feet wide, yet 153,300 persons were employed to build it, it took seven years to build, ~7,500,000 lbs. of gold and ~75,000,000 lbs. of silver were used, 24,000 supervisors and 6,000 officials and judges were employed to manage it 1KI 6.2, 2CH 3.3, 1KI 5.15-16, 1KI 6.38, 1CH 22.14, 1CH 23.4-No
* an iron axe head was made to “swim” or float (2KI 6.5-7)-Yes
* Ahaz was a 10- or 11-year-old father (Ahaz was thirty-six years old when he died. His twenty-five year old son Hezekiah succeeded him.) (2KI 16.2, 20, 18.1-2)-No
*The shadow on a sun dial was made to move backwards (2KI 20.11)_Yes
* Solomon sacrificed 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep in one week (845+ animals per hour, 14+ animals per minute, for seven days straight) 2CH 7.5, 8-9-No
* fire consumed wet wood, stones, and dust, and “licked up”water 1KI 18.33-38-Yes
* an iron axe head was made to float 2KI 6.5-7-Yes
* the shadow of the sun was made to move backwards 2KI 20.11-Yes
* dry bones were made to come alive EZ 37.1-10-No
* the shadow of the Sun was made to move backwards (again) (IS 38.8-Yes
* there is or was a high mountain from which all the kingdoms of the world could be seen (MT 4.8)-No
* both mental and physical illness are caused by demons and can be cured through exorcism MT 4.23-24, 9.32-33, 12.22, 17.14-18, MK 1.23-26, 32-34, 5.2-16, 9.17-29, 16.9, LK 11.14, 4.33-35, 8.2, 27-36, 9.38-42, AC 8.7, 16.16-18-No
* you should give to everyone who asks, lend to everyone who wants to borrow (MT 5.42, LK 6.30, 35)-No
* faith can move mountains, nothing is impossible if you have faith as small as a grain of mustard seed MT 17.20, 21.21, MK 9.23, 10.27, 11.23, LK 17.6-No
* whatever you ask in prayer, if you have faith you will receive it MT 21.22, MK 11.24-No
* you can handle snakes and drink any deadly poison without suffering any harm? (MK 16.17-18)-No
* a dead man whose body had begun to stink because he had been dead four days was brought back to life JN 11.39-44-Yes
* the bodies of dead saints arose from their graves and went in force into the city of Jerusalem MT 27.52-53-Yes
* you can handle snakes and drink any deadly thing without suffering any harm whatsoever MK 16.17-18-No
* you should sell all your possessions and give to the poor?(LK 12.33, TI 6.8)-No
* you should use prayer and anointing to cure illness? (JA5.14-15)-No
* you should consider making yourself a Eunuch for the sake of the Kingdom? (MT 19.12, RO 8.13)-No
* you should be subject to every human institution because all authorities (laws and governments) are from God (RO 13.1-4, PE 2.13-14)-No
* there are at least three heavens 2CO 12.2-Yes
* an angel (from “God”) who preaches a gospel contrary to that of Paul’s will incur Paul’s wrath GA 1.8-9”-No
The girls in our elementary Sunday school could answer most of these questions. These are not a problem if you believe in God, know your Bible, and can rightly divide it. Jeff strikes out on all three.
Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.