Answering Skeptics Who Call Themselves 'Atheists'

@LadyGrace Bible is written by men 😂
Everything is copied from various sources and assembled as per convenience.

@SW-User Says man. To one who believes, no explanation is necessary. To one that doesn't, no explanation is possible, for the same reason a thief can't find a cop.

@LadyGrace 😯🤔
Good analogy but isn't it the other way round practically 😜
Thief can always find a cop, but a cop cannot always find a thief. A cop may find few dump thiefs but really find it hard to find smart thiefs. Same holds true with this belief and explanation 😂

@SW-User You missed the meaning completely.

@LadyGrace No I didn't. That's a common phrase that evangelic Christians are taught. And if there is a valid counter argument,safest thing is to tell the other person that they missed the meaning completely. That's a common and predictable pattern 😂

@SW-User You still completely missed the meaning. And it's not a common evangelical phrase Christian's are [i]taught.[/i]

@LadyGrace I'm sure,I didn't. You can read the conversation again 🙂. Anyways basic argument is Bible was written by men.

@SW-User That's what man says, but he's wrong.

@LadyGrace No. That's were you are missing the point. You seem to be misled. It is indeed written by men. Even the names mentioned are all of men.

@SW-User [quote]No. That's were you are missing the point. You seem to be misled. It is indeed written by men. Even the names mentioned are all of men.[/quote]

You miss the point, young lady, God wrote His Word through holy men of their time. He loves working with His creation.

@GodSpeed63 Let me highlight two basic problems with Bible ignoring the rest.

1. Lots and lots of contradictions. Even the resurrection story, which forms the foundation of Christianity is contradictory in multiple accounts.
2. A person who values humanity has to reject the Bible because it approves of outrageous cruelty and injustice.

So that makes it very clear that it is not a word of a God.

@SW-User List examples of your points 1 and 2. From the bible, including verses.

@SW-User [quote]1. Lots and lots of contradictions. Even the resurrection story, which forms the foundation of Christianity is contradictory in multiple accounts.[/quote]

1. Support what you're claiming is true.

[quote]2. A person who values humanity has to reject the Bible because it approves of outrageous cruelty and injustice. [/quote]

2. Support what you're claiming is true.

@SW-User I was like you earlier but now i am not. I feel how unaware i was but atleast that phase was necessary for me to get to know God.

@LadyGrace [quote] I knew her circular intent there.[/quote]

I know. She will not be able to support her claims.

@GodSpeed63

Please read the Gospels yourself. You will understand.

1. Contradictions in ressurection :

Mark 16:2 states that on the day of the resurrection, certain women arrived at the tomb at the rising of the sun. But John 20:1 informs us they arrived when it was yet dark. Luke 24:2 describes the tomb as open when the women arrived, whereas Matthew 28:1-2 indicates it was closed. Mark 16:5 declares that the women saw a young man at the tomb, Luke 24:4 says they saw two men, Matthew 28:2 reports they saw an angel, and John 20:11-12 claims they saw two angels.

2. Cruelties


He damned the whole human race and cursed the entire creation because of the acts of two people (Genesis 3:16-23; Romans 5:18); he drowned pregnant women and innocent children and animals at the time of the Flood (Genesis 7:20-23); he tormented the Egyptians and their animals with hail and disease because pharaoh refused to let the Israelites leave Egypt (Exodus 9:8-11,25); and he killed Egyptian babies at the time of the Passover (Exodus 12:29-30).

After the Exodus he ordered the Israelites to exterminate the men, women, and children of seven nations and steal their land (Deuteronomy 7:1-2); he killed King David’s baby because of David’s adultery with Bathsheba (II Samuel 12:13-18); he required the torture and murder of his own son (e.g., Romans 3:24-25); and he promised to send non-Christians to eternal torture (e.g., Revelation 21:8).

More Slaughters Ordered by the Lord....

@JonathanSJ You can share your story...what made you overcome that phase... That would be interesting.

@SW-User Is there a difference between the Rising of sun and "yet" dark?

The period is referred to as TWILIGHT nowadays.
I don't have time for reading all of yours but for sure, i read the first point correct and you are WRONG there. Ofcourse while writing down the Bible, these guys didn't know that they will have to prove them right to you.


I will be back to your other points whenever i have time and i will share with you what changed my heart.

@JonathanSJ There are always ways where one can connect the dots to make sense of things that you did for a fraction of one of the points. That doesn't make my argument wrong. I have mentioned only few contradictions. There are so many. Let us even forget about the contradictions, the worrisome factor is the cruelty and injustice that are approved.

@SW-User Humans basically don't have any knowledge about what they are doing and what they are not doing. If they had, then fir sure, they would not be caring to protect the same environment which they unknowingly tried to destroy. You know what? Upstairs, He would be laughing at the mess we are creating. First of all, we found agriculture, Hybrid seeds to increase the population, to sustain it and now the same population, in the most populated countries, they are taking measures to control.

So, i don't doubt God based on how some human take small fragments from The Bible to prove it is wrong. It is moulding the Truth their own way. I can provide you various arguments regarding your second point too. But, it would be a very long conversation. Believing that you are here to know God, He will make himself known to you. Just keep looking.

@SW-User [quote]Mark 16:2 states that on the day of the resurrection, certain women arrived at the tomb at the rising of the sun. But John 20:1 informs us they arrived when it was yet dark. Luke 24:2 describes the tomb as open when the women arrived, whereas Matthew 28:1-2 indicates it was closed. Mark 16:5 declares that the women saw a young man at the tomb, Luke 24:4 says they saw two men, Matthew 28:2 reports they saw an angel, and John 20:11-12 claims they saw two angels.[/quote]

This only indicates that you don't know the Gospels.

[quote]He damned the whole human race and cursed the entire creation because of the acts of two people (Genesis 3:16-23; Romans 5:18); he drowned pregnant women and innocent children and animals at the time of the Flood (Genesis 7:20-23); he tormented the Egyptians and their animals with hail and disease because pharaoh refused to let the Israelites leave Egypt (Exodus 9:8-11,25); and he killed Egyptian babies at the time of the Passover (Exodus 12:29-30).
After the Exodus he ordered the Israelites to exterminate the men, women, and children of seven nations and steal their land (Deuteronomy 7:1-2); he killed King David’s baby because of David’s adultery with Bathsheba (II Samuel 12:13-18); he required the torture and murder of his own son (e.g., Romans 3:24-25); and he promised to send non-Christians to eternal torture (e.g., Revelation 21:8).
[/quote]

This also indicates that you have no knowledge of Yahweh's righteousness and His justice on sinful mankind.

@SW-User You wanted answers. Here they are. Careful bible study. Let's examine each of these verses carefully, that you say are contradictory....but civally! God is not some Monster out there, waiting to kill us, as many mistakenly believe. He is not evil. He is our hope and salvation. Without Him, all would be lost and hopeless for our soul, and where we end up, is solely up to us.

[quote]1. Contradictions in ressurection :

Mark 16:2 states that on the day of the resurrection, certain women arrived at the tomb at the rising of the sun. But John 20:1 informs us they arrived when it was yet dark. Luke 24:2 describes the tomb as open when the women arrived, whereas Matthew 28:1-2 indicates it was closed. Mark 16:5 declares that the women saw a young man at the tomb, Luke 24:4 says they saw two men, Matthew 28:2 reports they saw an angel, and John 20:11-12 claims they saw two angels.
[/quote]

1. Mark 16:2 vs. John 20:1 :
Mark 16:2 says the women came unto the sepulchre [i][b]at the rising[/b] of the sun[/i], just as you said. It was dark but by the time they got there, the sun was just rising. The verse didn't say they arrived "in early morning". They made a distinction, wanting us to know that they guy ot there JUST as the sun was rising. So no contradictions there. John 20:1 confirms it was still dark when they arrived, [i]until the sun rose[/i] and which the women witnessed.

2. Luke 24:2: ...and they found the stone rolled away from the Sepulcher.
Matthew 28:1-2: in the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the Sepulcher. Verse 2: And behold, there was a great earthquake, for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and [b]rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. [/b]
Nothing in Matthew 28:1-2 states that the tomb was closed.


3. [b][c=BF0000]Mark 16:5[/c][/b]: and entering into the Sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment, and they were frightened.
[b][c=BF0000]Luke 24:4:[/c][/b] and it came to pass, as if they were much perplexed there about, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments; v. 25... and as they were afraid and bowed down their faces to the Earth, they said unto them, why seek ye the living among the Dead?

And Luke chapter 24 at the beginning of those verses starting with verse one, it tells the story of how these women came to the tomb and were shocked to see that the stone had been rolled away and when they looked inside and found no body of Jesus, they were perplexed and frightened and then two Angels stood by them and ask them what are you looking for? He is not here. He has risen from the grave, just as he promised he would do, and told you. And by the way, the gigantic Stone that had been rolled in front of the Tomb was so heavy that it took two angels to remove it. It weighed tons. It had been rolled down hill because it was so heavy and it rested in front of the Tomb and no man could move it . No one had come to the grave to steal his body. And that is a very important fact when reading about the resurrection of Jesus. It shows that he indeed was in the tomb and was guarded by the guards 24/7 or else if that body had been stolen, they were under the threat of death. So they guarded that tomb with their lives to see that no one stole his body or else they knew they would be killed. So that's why the women were so astonished when they came that morning and only found His garments, but no Jesus. He had risen from the dead. Just as he promised.

Here we have no contradictions. It is simply Mark recording this event from his perspective. Just like you get when you go to court and you have two different Witnesses giving account of the same event. One may leave out one detail and the other may emphasis what stood out in his mind, to highlight of the event, but both are accurate.

For example: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, express the number of female "discovers" at the tomb, differently, though all four accounts are accurate.

In Matthew 28 verse 1, the author records Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb.

Mark records in his book, that Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they may go to anoint Jesus's body.

Then we have Luke who says it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.

And finally, John mentions Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

What when realizes upon closer inspection, is that these gospel accounts actually compliment one another, rather than contradict. These four different authors record the empty tomb fax from their particular perspectives. John mentions Mary Magdalene because obviously she was the key person, because of her prominence, either during or after Jesus's Earthly Ministry, who is also included in the other three accounts. If he, however, had said [b]only[/b] Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, then we would have a true contradiction since Matthew claims at least two were present. The writers were not obligated to mention every person present. The authors are selectively reporting what they believe to be important.

What one finally realizes after Examining The Gospel accounts is that they are complementary rather than contradictive. In fact, we do see they actually make the historical account that much more believable. If they had all been written exactly the same, rather than from the different and unique perspectives by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, one could actually make a case for collusion!


[quote]2. Cruelties

He damned the whole human race and cursed the entire creation because of the acts of two people (Genesis 3:16-23; Romans 5:18); he drowned pregnant women and innocent children and animals at the time of the Flood (Genesis 7:20-23); he tormented the Egyptians and their animals with hail and disease because pharaoh refused to let the Israelites leave Egypt (Exodus 9:8-11,25); and he killed Egyptian babies at the time of the Passover (Exodus 12:29-30).

After the Exodus he ordered the Israelites to exterminate the men, women, and children of seven nations and steal their land (Deuteronomy 7:1-2); he killed King David’s baby because of David’s adultery with Bathsheba (II Samuel 12:13-18); he required the torture and murder of his own son (e.g., Romans 3:24-25); and he promised to send non-Christians to eternal torture (e.g., Revelation 21:8).[/quote]

God has good reason for [i]everything[/i] he does, and who are we, His creation, to judge Almighty God, who is perfect and [b]incapable[/b] of error? Since when are we smarter than God. He can see into the future...we can't. Therefore, He knows what is best, for our future. He did not come to condemn. He came to save mankind. If it wasn't for Jesus, every one of us would go to hell when we die. How would we like that?

God has set limits, just as law enforcement has set limits; but God is long suffering, in that He is not willing that ANY should perish.God hasn't broken one law, but man sure has. There are always two sides to a story. God gave the people during Noah's day, [b]500 years to repent[/b] and turn from their wicked ways. They only got worse. Had God not brought the flood, the next generation of their offspring would have been even worse, so rather than let evil spread and cause even more people to go to hell, he sadly, had to bring them to the ending of their OWN MAKING. He grieved over this. We mustn't be quick to judge. There's always a reason and always another side. God is love personified...not willing that ANY perish. John 3:16

Man's laws and God's laws, were put into effect for our good and safety. If you kill someone in society, you risk getting the death penalty. You have disobeyed the laws enforced by man. Yet, we are not under the law right now. [b]Spiritually speaking, that is[/b]. We are under grace...UNEARNED FAVOR from God; though God's laws still apply, and if not taken seriously, puts us at risk of spiritual death...eternal separation from God....UNLESS those offenses are forgiven by Jesus before we die. God does not condemn us....our SINS do. They must be forgiven, by Jesus, so we can enter heaven without them. Jesus turns no one away. He loves each and every one of us, and He proved it on the cross, when He died to pay our sin debt. He didn't have to do that but he did. Because he loves us. In fact, he volunteered to die on our behalf. But in the state we are in right now, every one of us must repent and ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins and he wants to do that if we will allow him to.

What most do not realize here, is that God doesn't make quick judgments. He gave people in Noah's time and in the time of Sodum and Gemmorah, over a hundred years to repent. Still, they refused to listen.

And those deaths you spoke of, are actually God keeping His promise to protect His people from their enemies, who were going after them, to kill them.

@SW-User John 3:17 - "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

It grieved Him when His creation turned against Him. He is still not willing that any should perish. God does not condemn the world. God is fair. Sin is not. It is our sins that already have us condemned, by separating us from God, per our choice. Jesus loved us enough to say, "I'm not going to leave you in that fallen condition; I've made a way of escape for you, if you will accept it." If we don't, that is not God's fault. That was our choice to make, not His. He wanted us to live in Paradise with him forever. If we say we want none of that, He will honor that request. There's no excuse why anyone has to miss Heaven. But it seems some foolishly prefer the alternative.

@SW-User God is not responsible for the foolishness of man. Neither is He responsible for greed, selfishness, hatred, pride, laziness, hoarding, cruelty, spite, callousness, or any other sin that contributes to world hunger. There is no unrighteousness in God (Psalm 92:15). All people are sinners (Romans 3:23), and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The tragedies of the world—especially preventable tragedies such as world hunger—are the result of sin (see Romans 8:22).