The John W. Loftus Loft of Ignorance

John W. Loftus:June 2nd 2006, 11:08 AM http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/showpost.php?p=1511612&postcount=185Real Atheism VS Fake Atheism

Doesn't your Bible say to answer a fool according to his fool?

John W. Loftus, carpet cleaner and pool player from Angola, Indiana, tries to impress us with the credentials noted at The John W. Loftus Basement of Credentials. And yet, if he was a Christian, a “strong apologist” and a former minister as he claims, how can he be so ignorant of the Christian faith?

From Minister to Honest Doubter. “What if I’m Wrong?” pp. 171-173.

Am I to be blamed because I couldn’t understand traditional Christianity? I tried with everything in me. I even spent several years earning three master’s degrees and studies in a Ph.D. program to figure my faith out.

Because I’m pretty sure most all of us are wrong about some crucial religious issues. I’m probably wrong too.

If I am wrong about anything I have written in this book, then I am wrong. And I probably am wrong about some things, and maybe about many things. I know this.

From Minister to Honest Doubter, p. 5.

One major reason why I have become an honest doubter is because even though I am above average as a thinker I could not answer the questions that I was encountering myself, so I became a doubter precisely because that’s where the unanswerable questions led me. I couldn’t answer them, and I’m above average, so those who are below average should be warned.

Strange, isn’t it, that while Loftus claims to be an “above average” thinker, that his “unanswerable questions” have been answered. Is he not intelligent enough to ascertain those answers?

Online resources are available. Various apologetics websites exist to tackle the tough questions. Tekton Apologetics Ministries. A Christian Thinktank. The John Ankerberg Theological Institute. Equip.org. So the matter is not whether the questions are unanswerable, because they

are. Rather, is the skeptic willing to search for those answers, and examine the evidence with an impartial and open mind and heart, with the same standards of evaluating any other ancient document?

Simon Greenleaf of the Harvard School of Law states, in Testimony of the Evangelists, “In examining the evidence of the Christian religion, it is essential to the discovery of truth that we bring to the investigation a mind freed, as far as possible, from existing prejudice, and open to conviction.  There should be a readiness, on our part, to investigate with candor to follow the truth wherever it may lead us, and to submit, without reserve or objection, to all the teachings of this religion, if it be found to be of divine origin.

“... In requiring this candor and simplicity of mind in those who would investigate the truth of our religion, Christianity demands nothing more than is readily conceded to every branch of human science. All these have their data, and their axioms; and Christianity, too, has her first principles, the admission of which is essential to any real progress in knowledge.

“... All Christianity asks of men on this subject, is that they would be consistent with themselves; that they would treat the evidence of other things;; and that they would try and judge its actors and witnesses, as they deal with their fellow men, when testifying to human affairs and actions, in human tribunals.   Let the the witnesses be compared with themselves, with each other, and with surrounding facts and circumstances; and let their testimony be sifted, as if were given in a court of justice, on the side of the adverse party, the witness being subjected to a rigorous cross-examination.  The result, it is confidently believed, will be an undoubting conviction of their integrity, ability, and truth.”

Was Loftus willing to investigate in those terms? Apparently not. For he has said,

June 29th 2005, 08:29 PM http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/showpost.php?p=1092708&postcount=56Where is God in Infinite SPACE?

But just to be sure. I'm beyond help. I've rejected Christianity, having been a former apologist for it with three masters degrees.

That's me when it comes to Christianity. I cannot bring myself to even entertain the idea anymore. It's simply an incorrect theological system, no matter who's doing the interpreting.

So, like the proverbial ostrich sticking its head in the ground, John W. Loftus has chosen to remain ignorant, while maintaining his boast that he is “fully informed.”

Meanwhile, for those interested in the answers, this essay will address some of those “unanswerable” questions too tough for Loftus to answer. His remarks are in deep red.

From Minister to Honest Doubter, pp. 13-14

Can you prove that God exists? When asked that question what do you say?

Glenn Miller. “Evidence for God”http://www.christian-thinktank.com/lproof.html

Glenn Miller. “Why doesn't God give us Proof?”http://www.christian-thinktank.com/adam01.html

Glenn Miller. “Good question...if Christianity is true, why does it need so much defending? And why doesn't God make it clearer?”http://www.christian-thinktank.com/2many2.html

Dr. John Ankerberg. “Solid Evidence About Christ for a Skeptical World”http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/apologetics/AP0101W1.htm

Dr. John Ankerberg. “What Can You Say About Jesus to Your Non-Christian Friends? - Part 1” If you are a Christian, would you like to know how to answer the tough questions your friends are asking about God? Do you know what to say if someone asks you to show them who Jesus really is? Do you know what Jesus claimed about Himself? Do you know where and how Jesus says He can change a person’s life? In this series of articles, Dr. Ankerberg will lay out the evidence you can use to witness to your friends. HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg. “What Can You Say About Jesus to Your Non-Christian Friends? - Part 2” Critics made several assumptions about the Bible: 1) critics assume that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John really didn’t write the books that bear their names; 2) they assume that the people who wrote the book were not eyewitnesses; and 3) they assume that the books were written and circulated to people that had never met Jesus, who didn’t know anything about Him, and were 200 years removed from Jesus. What evidence do you have to counter those assumptions? HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg. “What Can you Say About Jesus to Your Non-Christian Friends? - Part 3” Why is it we believe the four Gospels and other New Testament books were written early; that is, during the lifetime of the Apostles, not 200 years after Christ lived? How did archaeology show that the New Testament books present accurate historical reports of what Jesus said and did, rather than myths and legends? HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg. “What Can You Say to Your Non-Christian Friends About Jesus? - Part 4” Did Jesus ever claim to be God? Dr. John Ankerberg examines examples of Jesus’ claims to show that, not only was He was claiming to be God, but and His listeners clearly understood what He was saying. HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg. “What Can You Say to Your Non-Christian Friends About Jesus? - Part 5” How can we know for sure that Jesus claimed to be God? What evidence did Jesus offer to prove

His claim was true? Was His character really unique? Can we really believe in His miracles? That’s the topic that we want to consider this time HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg. “What Can You Say About Jesus to Your Non-Christian Friends? - Part 6” When Jesus claimed to be God, what proof did He offer that His claim was true? What evidence would lead a thinking person in the 21st century to believe that Jesus really rose from the dead? HTML PDF

In answer to the question you couldn’t say that you believe God exists because the Bible says so.

That argument is addressed in The Truthfulness of the Bible.

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “The Bible—The Most Unique Book in the World, Part One”The Bible is not the product of human invention, nor does it contain a mixture of truth and error. It does not require “enlightenment” to understand it properly. Nor is the Bible an incomplete revelation of God. All those are things the Bible is not. Over the next few [essays] the authors will give seven points that are necessary for understanding what the Bible IS! HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “The Bible—The Most Unique Book in the World—Part Two” What does the Bible say about itself? What did Jesus say about the Bible? What did the Apostles say about the Bible? What does God’s character say about the Bible? HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “The Bible—The Most Unique Book in the World, Part Three” We are looking at characteristics that reveal the nature of the Bible. This time, ways in which the Bible is unique, how to interpret the Bible, and what Jesus thought of the Bible. HTML PDF

Belief in the Bible as truth only comes after one believes in God.

Not so. Former skeptics, willing to apply the same standards of evidence as they would any historical document, have accepted the validity of the Old and New Testaments.

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “The Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, Part 1—Can it Persuade Skeptics?”Among the religions of the world Christianity is unique—particularly when it comes to evidence supporting its claims. The authors give examples of skeptics who have changed their minds once they carefully examined the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection. HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “The Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ—Part 2”

Could the evidence stand cross-examination in a modern court of law? The authors cite a number of lawyers, including Simon Greenleaf (considered “the greatest single authority on evidence…”), who say, “Yes!” HTML PDF

Nor could you say that you believe because God answers your prayers.

For God to answer prayer, you have to first believe that He will.

James 1:2-8    2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

James Patrick Holding. “Does the Bible Teach that Prayer Can Get You Anything?” http://www.tektonics.org/lp/prayfor.html

Glenn Miller. Commentary here: http://www.christian-thinktank.com/sh6end.html

To the unbeliever this is circumstantial evidence.

circumstantial evidence (indirect evidence)  Evidence from which the judge or jury may infer the existence of a fact in issue but which does not prove the existence of the fact directly. Case law has described circumstantial evidence as evidence that is relevant (and, therefore, admissible) but that has little probative value.“circumstantial evidence”  A Dictionary of Law. Ed. Elizabeth A. Martin. Oxford University Press, 2002. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.

Nor could you say that you believe because your parents have taught you to believe. What if they’re wrong?

Dr. John Ankerberg. “Overcoming Your Past -- Part One”http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/practical-christianity/PC0700W4.htm

Dr. John Ankerberg. “Overcoming Your Past - Part Two”http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/practical-christianity/PC0800W4.htm

Nor could you offer that fact that God changed your life as proof that God exists. Perhaps you’re deluded as to the source of the change?”

John Angell James. MISTAKES INTO WHICH INQUIRERS ARE APT TO FALLTaken from “The Anxious Inquirer” (Now called “Being Born Again“) http://www.radiomissions.org/gleanings/mistakes.shtml

Tim Davies. “Psychology: Are Christians deluded?” http://www.fulwoodchurch.co.uk/cgi/search_3.cgi?trsc=213&series=30&

You might want to argue that Biblical miracles prove God exists.

Dr. Greenleaf states, “The foundation of our religion is a basis of fact--the fact of the birth, ministry, miracles, death, resurrection by the Evangelists as having actually occurred, within their own personal knowledge. Our religion, then, rests on the credit due to these witnesses. Are they worthy of implicit belief, in the matters which they relate? This is the question, in all human tribunals, in regard to persons testifying before them; and we propose to test the veracity of these witnesses, by the same rules and means which are there employed. The importance of the facts testified, and their relations to the affairs of the soul, and the life to come, can make no difference in the principles or the mode of weighing the evidence. It is still the evidence of matters of fact, capable of being seen and known and related, as well by one man as by another. And if the testimony of the Evangelist, supposing it to be relevant and material to the issue in a question of property or of personal right, between man and man, in a court of justice, ought to be believed and have weight; then, upon the like principles, it ought to receive our entire credit here. But if, on the other hand, we should be justified in rejecting it, if there testified on oath, then, supposing our rules of evidence to be sound, we may be excused if we hesitate elsewhere to give it credence.”

The matter of miracles as proof is discussed at http://www.tektonics.org/guest/truthfulness.htm#threeMiracles

Dr. Norman Geisler. “Questions About Miracles—Part One” What are miracles? Dr. Geisler begins a four-part series on miracles by defining what he means by the word “miracle,” then answering the questions: Are miracles possible? and Are Miracles Credible? PDF

Dr. Norman Geisler. “Questions About Miracles—Part Two” As we continue a look at miracles, Dr. Geisler examines two more questions: Are Miracles Scientific? And Are Miracles Historical? PDF

Dr. Norman Geisler. “Questions About Miracles—Part Three” This article asks “Are Miracles Mythological? And begins a discussion of the question: “Are Miracles Definable?” PDF

Dr. Norman Geisler. “Questions About Miracles—Part Four” What is the difference between “miracles” and “magic”? What about psychics and others who

claim and display “supernatural” abilities? What does the Bible have to say about such things? PDF

Dr. Norman Geisler. “Questions about Miracles—Part Five”Dr. Geisler concludes the series about miracles by showing that biblical miracles are superior, and that they are valuable. PDF

Here the burden of proof is yours to show that such events really occurred.

Greenleaf: “But we may well suppose that in these respects they were like the generality of their countrymen, until the contrary is shown by an objector. it is always to be presumed that men are honest, and of sound mind, and of the average and ordinary degree of intelligence. This is not the judgment of mere charity; it is also the uniform presumption of the law of the land; a presumption which is always allowed freely and fully to operate, until the fact is shown to be otherwise, by the party who denies the applicability of this presumption to the particular case in question. Whenever an objection is raised in opposition to ordinary presumptions of law, or to the ordinary experience of mankind, the burden of proof is devolved on the objector, by the common and ordinary rules of evidence, and of practice in courts. No lawyer is permitted to argue in disparagement of the intelligence or integrity of a witness, against whom the case itself afforded no particle of testimony. This is self afforded in particle of testimony. This is sufficient for our purpose, in regard to these witnesses. But more than this is evident, from the minuteness of their narratives, and from their history.

“These copies of the Holy Scriptures having thus been in familiar use in the churches, from the time when the text was committed to writing; having been watched with vigilance by so many sects, opposed to each other in doctrine, yet all appealing to these Scriptures for the correctness of their faith; and having in all ages, down to this day, been respected as the authoritative source of all ecclesiastical power and government, and submitted to, and acted under in regard to so many claims of right, on the one hand, and so many obligations of duty, on the other; it is quite erroneous to suppose that the Christian is bound to offer any further proof of their genuineness or authenticity. It is for the objector to show them spurious; for on him, by the plainest rules of law, lies the burden of proof.”

Yet, for someone who doesn’t already believe in God, miraculous events cannot occur.

Greenleaf: “The title of the evangelists to full credit for veracity would be readily conceded by the objector, if the facts they relate were such as ordinarily occur in human experience, and on this circumstance an argument is founded against their credibility. Miracles, say the objectors, are impossible; and therefore the evangelists were either deceivers or deceived; and in either case their narratives against the possibility of miracles, was founded on the board and bold assumption that all things are governed by immutable laws, or fixed modes of motion and relation, termed the laws of nature, by which God himself is of necessity bound. This erroneous assumption is the tortoise, on which stands the elephant which upholds his system of atheism. He does not inform us who made these immutable laws, nor whence they derive their binding force

and irresistible operation. The argument supposes that the creator of all things first made a code of laws, and then put out of his own power to change them. The scheme of Mr. Hume is but another form of the same error. He deduces the existence of such immutable laws from the uniform course of human experience. This, he affirms, is our only guide in reasoning concerning matters of fact; and whatever is contrary to human experience, he pronounces incredible. Without stopping to examine the correctness of this doctrine, as a fundamental principle in the law of evidence, it is sufficient in this place to remark, that it contains this fallacy: it excludes all knowledge derived by inference or deduction from facts, confining us to what we derive from experience alone, and thus depriving us of any knowledge, or even rational belief, or the existence or character of God. Nay more, it goes to prove that successive generations of men can make no advancement in knowledge, but each must begin de novo, and be limited to the results of his own experience. But if we may infer, from what we see and know, that there is a Supreme Being, by whom this world was created, we may certainly, and with equal reason, believe him capable of works which we have never yet known him to perform. We may fairly conclude that the power which was originally put forth to create the world is still constantly and without ceasing exerted to sustain it; and that the experienced connection between cause and effect is but the uniform and constantly active operation of the finger of God. Whether this uniformity of operation extends to things beyond the limits of our observation, is a point we cannot certainly know. Its existence in all things that ordinarily concern us may be supposed to be ordained as conducive to our happiness; and if the belief in a revelation of peace and mercy from god is conducive to the happiness of man, it is not irrational to suppose that he would depart from his ordinary course of action, in order to give it such attestations as should tend to secure that belief. “A miracle is improbable, when we can perceive no sufficient cause, in reference to his creatures, why the Deity should not vary his modes of operation; it ceases to be so, when such cause is assigned.”

“...But the full discussion of the subject of miracles forms no part of the present design. Their credibility has been fully established, and the objections of skeptics most satisfactorily met and overthrown, by the ablest writers of our own day, whose works are easily accessible. Thus much, however, may here be remarked; that in almost every miracle related by the evangelists, the facts, separately taken, were plain, intelligible, transpiring in public, and about which no person of ordinary observation would be like to mistake. Persons blind or cripple, who applied to Jesus for relief, were known to have been crippled or blind for many years; they came to be cured; he spake to them; they went away whole. Lazarus had been dead and buried four days; Jesus called him to come forth from the grave; he immediately came forth, and was seen alive for a long time afterwards. In every case of healing, the previous condition of the sufferer was known to all witnessed the act of Jesus in touching him, and heard his words. All these, separately considered, were facts, plain and simple in their nature, easily seen and fully comprehended by persons of common capacity and observation. If they were separately testified to, by different witnesses of ordinary intelligence and integrity, in any court of justice, the jury would be bound to believe them; and a verdict, rendered contrary to the uncontradicted testimony of credible witnesses to any of these plain facts, separately taken, would be liable to be set aside, as a verdict against evidence. If one credible witness testified to the fact, that Bartimeus was blind, according to the uniform course of administering justice, this fact would be taken as satisfactorily proved. So also, if his subsequent restoration to sight were the sole fact in question, this also would be deemed established, by the like evidence. Nor would the rule of evidence be at all different, if the

fact to be proved were the declaration of Jesus, immediately preceding his restoration to sight, that his faith had made him whole. In each of these cases, each isolated fact was capable of being accurately observed, and certainly known; and the evidence demands our assent, precisely as the like evidence upon any other indifferent subject. The connection of the word or the act of Jesus with the restoration of the blind, lame and dead, to sight, and health, and life, as cause and effect, is a conclusion which our reason is compelled to admit, from the uniformity of their concurrence, in such a multitude of instances, as well as from the universal conviction of all, whether friends or foes, who beheld the miracles which he wrought. Indeed, if the truth of one of the miracles is satisfactorily established, our belief cannot reasonably be withheld from them all. This is the issue proposed by Dr. Paley, in regard to the evidence of the death of Jesus upon the cross, and his subsequent resurrection, the truth of which he has established in an argument incapable of refutation.”

Dr. William Paley discusses miracles here: http://www.tektonics.org/classics/paleyev1.pdf

Of course, the miracle of the resurrection of Christ is a powerful testimony for the existence of a God who raises the dead, but is it proof?

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “Does the Evidence for the Resurrection Offer Proof that Jesus Rose from the Dead?” HTML PDF

What about fulfilled prophecy in the Bible? We would first need to show that the prophecy was written before the prophesied event actually occurred. Even if it was, then we’d have to show that it wasn’t just a lucky guess.

Dr. John Ankerberg. “Why is Prophecy Important?”http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/biblical-prophecy/prophecy-questions/BPQ0402-1.htm

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon, Dr. Walter Kaiser. “If Specific Prophecies Were Fulfilled by the Messiah, Does the Science of Probability Consider This Proof There Is a God?”http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/apologetics/AP1199W4.htm

Glenn Miller. “The Fulfillment of Prophecy...”http://www.christian-thinktank.com/proffill.html

J. P. Holding. “Carr Repairs: The Jury's Noisy Crash on Biblical Prophecy” http://www.tektonics.org/af/carrs01.html

The many prophecies concerning Jesus as the Messiah in the Old Testament, taken together, serve as a powerful testimony to a God who sees the future, but is it proof?”

Dr. William Varner. “Prophecy and the Messiah”http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/biblical-prophecy/BP1299W2.htm

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “The Case for Jesus the Messiah” Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon and Dr. Walter Kaiser take a look at Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. They point out that the evidence points squarely at Jesus as being the fulfillment of those prophecies! HTML

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “Incredible Prophecies: Do They Prove God Exists? - Part 1”In this first of a two part series, Drs. Ankerberg and Weldon look at the statistical probability that any one man could fulfill all the prophecies regarding the Messiah in the Old Testament. What studies have been done, and what conclusions have been reached? HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “Incredible Prophecies: Do They Prove God Exists? - Part 2”In this article, we find two illustrations which point out the absurdity of believing one man could possibly have fulfilled all the prophecies about the Messiah—unless He was the Messiah! HTML PDF

The Case for Jesus the Messiah - Incredible Prophecies that Prove God ExistsDr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon, Dr. Walter Kaiser.

Preface and Introduction.

1. Did God Promise to Speak Through His Prophets Things Concerning the Future?

2. Definition of the Word “Messiah”

3. If Specific Prophecies Were Fulfilled by the Messiah, Does the Science of Probability Consider This Proof There Is a God?

4. Genesis 3:15—Who Is the Seed (Offspring) of the Woman Who Crushes the Head of Satan?

5. Genesis 12:2-3, 17:1, 5-6; 22:18—Who Is the Seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob That Will Eventually Bless All the Nations?

6. Deuteronomy 18:15—Who Is the “Prophet Like Moses” of Whom God Says, “You Must Listen to Him”?

7. Psalm 22—Who is the One Crucified?

8. Psalm 110:1—Who Is David’s “Lord”?

9. Isaiah 9:6-7—Who Is the Child That Is God and Will Have an Everlasting Kingdom?

10. Isaiah 53—Who Was Crushed and Pierced for Our Transgressions So That We Would Be Healed by His Wounds; upon Whom Did the Lord Lay the Iniquity of All Mankind?

11. Jeremiah 23:5, 6—Who Is the Righteous Branch, the Wise King, Who Will Be Called “the Lord Our Righteousness”?

12. Daniel 9:24-27—Who Is the “Anointed One” to Be “Cut Off” After 483 Years?     APPENDIX: What Was the Length of a Year in Daniel 9?

13. Micah 5:2—Who Is the One Who Is Eternal, Who Will Be the Ruler over Israel, Who Is Born in Bethlehem Ephrathah?

14. Zechariah 9:9—Who Is the King of Jerusalem, “Righteous and Having Salvation” Who Comes “Gentle and Riding on a Donkey”?

15. Zechariah 12:10—Who Is Jehovah, “the One They Have Pierced” for Whom Jerusalem and All the Nation of Israel Will Weep and Mourn?

16. Malachi 3:1—When Did God Suddenly Come to His Temple? Who Was the Messenger He Sent before Him to Prepare the Way? SUMMARY

17. The Uniqueness of the Messianic Prophecies

18. Why the Jews Rejected Their Messiah

19. Wasn’t the Messianic Idea a Christian Invention?

20. The “Issue” of Interpretation

21. Did the New Testament writers fairly quote the Hebrew Scriptures?

22. Modern Jewish Views on Messianic PassagesAPPENDIX: Did Jesus Christ Really Rise from the Dead?

23. How the Early Jews Who Believed on Jesus Proved That He Was the Jewish Messiah

24. If Jesus Is the Messiah, What Should You Do?APPENDIX: The Promise of Isaiah 7:14 and the Single-Meaning Hermeneutic [Interpretation] 176

Notes

 

July 30th 2005, 02:08 PMhttp://www.theologyweb.com/campus/showpost.php?p=1133487&postcount=46Parting Thoughts From Doubting JohnThen I read a book by Hal Lindsey called The Late Great Planet Earth. It was very popular treatment of end time Bible predictions along with events around the world that seemed to confirm that the end time and Jesus’ return to the earth was very imminent. So I once again thought to myself at the time, “It’s true! Christianity is true! And Jesus may return any day now.”

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “Why is it Wrong for Christians to Predict When Christ Will Return to Earth?” If the Bible is clear on anything, it is that no one knows the specific time of Christ’s return—in fact, Jesus Himself said, “It is not for you to know….” But, for some reason, a lot of Christians aren’t listening to Jesus! What effect has that had on the Gospel message and the reputation of Jesus in this world? HTML PDF

Oddly, Loftus believed in Hal Lindsey rather than Jesus Christ and the Scriptures. To wit:

Ecclesiastes 8:7Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come?

Matthew 24:35-37 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.     36”No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[a] but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Matthew 24:44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Mark 13:31-33 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 32No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but

only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert[a]! You do not know when that time will come.

Luke 12:40You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

July 31st 2005, 07:16 AMhttp://www.theologyweb.com/campus/showpost.php?p=1134175&postcount=51Parting Thoughts From Doubting John Muslims claim that you will go to hell if you don't convert to Islam too! But you cannot be a Muslim and also a Christian. Both religions offer some evidence to believe, but Christians think their faith has more evidence on its behalf than Islam, and one billion Muslims think otherwise. But according to both religions the other group is going to hell. So choose wisely. The risk is the same because a lot is at stake.

John 14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Mark 2:5-105When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

    6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7”Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

    8Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . .

Luke 5:20-21    20When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”     21The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Ephesians 4:4-6   4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

   5One Lord, one faith, one baptism,    6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Galatians 1:6-8   6I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:    7Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.    8But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

1 John 4:1-6    1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.     4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Acts 4:8-12    8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11He is    ” 'the stone you builders rejected,       which has become the capstone. 12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Dr. John Ankerberg. “What Makes Jesus Unique“www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/historical-Jesus/DaVinci/PDF/What-Makes-Jesus-Unique.pdf

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “Is Christianity Alone Fully True and is Jesus Christ Really the Only Way to God? - Part 1” HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “Is Christianity Alone Fully True and is Jesus Christ Really the Only Way to God? - Part 2” Back when the Westminster Confession of Faith was written, it declared that the chief end of man was to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. At that time, few Westerners had any real doubts as to which God was referred to. Today it is a different story. HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “Is Christianity Alone Fully True and Is Jesus Christ Really the Only Way to God? - Part 3”Who do so many speak in terms of being “blessed” or of being given gifts when they don’t believe in God? Who gave them the gifts? Some who call themselves atheists credit themselves, their own abilities. Others grudgingly admit to an uncomfortable thought that there might be a god, a higher power outside of themselves. This month the authors suggest that even most who call themselves atheists cannot completely ignore the possibility of a God of some sort. HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “Is Christianity Alone Fully True and is Jesus Christ Really the Only Way to God? - Part 4”Do all men—even those who claim to be atheists—have an “innate knowledge of God”? The evidence seems to point that way. The authors cite leading atheist, Jean-Paul Sartre, and the research of Don Richardson to show that God is very much a part of human experience and consciousness. HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “Is Christianity Alone Fully True and is Jesus Christ Really the Only Way to God? - Part 5” If God exists and there is only one true God, then how do we find Him? This month, the distillation approach: How are Christianity and the God of the Bible different from every other religion and god in the world? How can we account for this difference? HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “Is Christianity Alone Fully True and is Jesus Christ Really the Only Way to God? - Part 6”Is Christianity intolerant or narrow-minded for teaching there is only one way to God? The authors say quite the contrary. In fact, it is other religions that, while saying they are tolerant of all religions, are completely intolerant of one—Christianity! Why is that the case? HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “Is Christianity Alone Fully True and is Jesus Christ Really the Only Way to God? - Part 7” When one examines all the attacks made against Christianity for 2,000 years, guess what one finds? Not one is valid. Not one disproves Christianity. If the God of the Bible has revealed Himself, and if He is the only God, then we would expect to find convincing evidence. Not just some evidence but superior evidence. And the authors say that is exactly what we do find. HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “Is Christianity Alone Fully True and Is Jesus Christ Really the Only Way to God? - Part 8”

As we near the end of this series, the authors point out two compelling lines of evidence for the truth of Christianity: supernatural biblical prophecy and the historically attested resurrection of Jesus. HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “Is Christianity Alone Fully True, and Is Jesus Christ Really The Only Way to God? - Part 9”When you remove Christ from Christianity there is no Christianity—because Jesus is not a way, a truth, a life, but the way, the truth, and the life. Can the same be said about any other religious leaders? HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg. “Solid Evidence About Christ for a Skeptical World” Is there any evidence that Jesus is who He claimed to be? During the course of this series Dr. Ankerberg will examine some of those claims and the evidence that backs them up. HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “The Christian Faith—Why It’s True - Part 1” The Christian faith was not the fabrication of man; it was not the invention of the disciples or the Apostle Paul; nor is the Christian faith simply a result of the cultural evolution of the Jewish people. Christianity is not a deception. Drs. Ankerberg and Weldon begin a multiple part series examining some of the evidence for the Christian faith. HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “The Christian Faith—Why It’s True - Part 2” When one examines the arguments and attacks made against Christianity for 2,000 years, not one is valid. Not one disproves Christianity. Even with the most difficult problems, Christianity has the best answer to offer. Drs. Ankerberg and Weldon explain. HTML PDF

Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon. “Why Christianity?” With all the religious claims in the world, each one suggesting they are “the only way,” what is it about Christianity that makes it unique? Are there reasons why you can and should believe the claims of Christianity above all others? Drs. Ankerberg and Weldon explain. HTML PDF

* * *

For more answers to Loftus’ questions from his book, click to J.P. Holding’s hub page for his review of From Minister to Honest Doubter, “Why We’re Doubting John” at http://www.tektonics.org/lp/loftus01.html. See also A Biblical Response to “What If I’m Wrong?” and A Biblical Response to “Why Did Jesus Suffer?”

July 15th 2005 , 03:36 AMhttp://www.theologyweb.com/campus/showpost.php?p=1115200&postcount=5Tweb skeptics are waste of good skinPosted by “Salvation Found”:

What drives me the most nuts is when I work hard to consider carefully a person's arguments, I look up information explain where I see fault in their arguments and then explain my own

position.

But then inevitably the skeptic merely dismisses any argument I give. No research put into it just a simple, “Not good enough.”

Doubting John is a good example. He showed his reasons for saying Paul believed in a spiritual resurrection. I took it seriously and not only examined his passages but showed evidence that countered his position including sources from experts.

So what does he do? Simply disregards any argument I've given considers it not good enough and makes the assumption his is the higher argument even though he didn't show any sources to back up his arguments.

The skeptics here have been getting increasingly boring.

1 Corinthians 2:12-14

12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.[a] 14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.