Former L.A. County District Attorney and agnostic Vince Bugliosi believes that the problem of evil is fatal to believing in Christianity. “I’m an agnostic only on the issue of whether there is a God, a supernatural being who created the universe. I’m not an agnostic on the Christian God… while God can be all-powerful or all-good, he cannot be both, since these are … [Read more...]
Why Did God Kill 25 Million People? (A Brief Response To The Atheists)
It does not matter whether God killed 25 million people, those numbers do not matter. Hence 25 million is not a number to be concerned about; instead the concern is about God’s justice, “Was God just in killing a large number of people as recorded in the Old Testament?” Justice is God’s ontologically necessary attribute, so HE cannot unjustly kill even one person. … [Read more...]
Why Did God Kill the Midianite Boys in Numbers 31? Part Four.
Through literary apologetics, this four-part series examines one of the more difficult passages in which to reconcile the God of the Old Testament with the God of love, namely Numbers 31:13-18, which records the mass killing of Midianites including baby boys. As mentioned before, I find this particular passage abhorrent; however, after researching the cultural context, I do … [Read more...]
Why Did God Kill the Midianite Boys in Numbers 31? Part Three.
Through literary apologetics, this four-part series examines one of the more difficult passages in which to reconcile the God of the Old Testament with the God of love, namely Numbers 31:13-18, which records the mass killing of Midianites including baby boys. As mentioned before, I find this particular passage abhorrent; however, after researching the cultural context, I do … [Read more...]
Why Did God Kill the Midianite Boys in Numbers 31? Part Two.
Through literary apologetics, this four-part series examines one of the more difficult passages in which to reconcile the God of the Old Testament with the God of love, namely Numbers 31:13-18, which records the mass killing of Midianites including baby boys. As mentioned before, I find this particular passage abhorrent; however, after researching the cultural context, I do … [Read more...]
Why Did God Kill the Midianite Boys in Numbers 31? Part One.
“And Moses was angry with the officers of the army…[and] said to them, ‘Have you let all the women live? Behold, these, on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord. Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known … [Read more...]
Annihilation versus Eternal Torment: What Does the Bible Really Teach?
Entire books on this subject have been written, as well as innumerable articles, with both sides claiming Bible verses to support their interpretation. And while this topic will likely be debated until Jesus returns, it is one that I feel I cannot be silent on as the very character of God is at stake. Please note that my goal was to succinctly expound on why I believe what I … [Read more...]
Why did God kill Uzzah for trying to protect the Ark of Covenant?
The Ark of the Covenant was the mercy seat of God, i.e. his throne on earth. God commanded the Israelites to build it shortly after they left Egypt. It was to reside in the Holy of Holies (the innermost chamber) of the tabernacle, and later the temple, in which God said He dwelt on earth. Only the High Priest could ever enter that chamber, and only once a year, on the Day of … [Read more...]
Does God Condone Slavery?
Many may be surprised to learn that in the Old Testament, God expressly forbids the slave trade, commanding that anyone who steals a man is to be put to death, whether he has sold the victim yet or not (Exodus 21:16). Naturally, this raises the question of why God had laws on slavery. It must be understood that there were different types of slavery in the ancient days. One was … [Read more...]
OT Wrath Versus NT Love?
[This post is a work in progress as part of the CAA Catechism.] [Add the title only in the title field, not in the body of the post.] Summary in 400 words or less: In the Old Testament, God is often perceived as wrathful while in the New Testament, Jesus (who claimed that He and the Father were united in all things) is perceived as loving. Such an alleged dichotomy … [Read more...]