Yahoo
Christian Apologetics Group 2003
Introduction
The year 2003 was a
year of some interaction of Questions and Answers in a Yahoo Christian
apologetics group in which this author was on and actively participating
through discussion boards. Below are some of those postings. Most
responses by this author was pointing out books and literatures
that would answer the questions in more deeper insights.
May God bless
those who read this Question and Answer Posting. For God’s Glory
Alone.
Case
#1 Moses
& The Pentateuch |
|
Date: Mon
Oct 6, 2003 12:55 pm
Subject:
Mosaic Authorshipof Pentateuch
Hi all,
I now have a more specific question that I would like your
help with tackling. In the same Reli class, my prof has now
claimed that the Pentateuch was not written by Moses and has
presented his "proofs" for this claim. I now have
to write a paper on this very subject and I come down on the
opposite side of my prof. I've even managed to prove a few
of his points wrong already using either his own sources or
other sources which I am fortunate enough to have. However,
seeing as how I want to write a very concise and effective
paper supporting my belief, I'm asking for your help. Whatever
knowledge you have on the subject, what ever sources you can
send me to, I would greatly appreciate it.
Pulpitpastor:
Hey, in
regard to the mosaic authorship of the first five books, most
people that do not hold Moses wrote the Pentateuch holds to
the JEDP school. Does ur Prof. hold this view?
JEDP
is basically the idea that at first a bunch of guys that r
Jehovahist (J) had some traditions first, then the Elohimist
(E) and others (D) traditions are added and finally the Priest
(P) editted and add which produce the Pentateuch as we know
it. If you can get a hold of Josh McDowell's "EVIDENCE
THAT DEMAND A VERDICT VOL. 2", he devotes about half
his book to the JEDP school. HOpe that helps...
FOR HIS GLORY,
Pulpitpastor
|
Case
#2 1st
Century & Culture |
| Date:
Tue Oct 14, 2003 5:58 am
Subject: Questions about the 1st Century AD
Any and all information
you guys have on life in the Roman controlled proviences of
Jesus and his disciples in the 1st Century would be greatly
appreciated. Some of the info I'm looking for would be spoken
and written languages, levels of education of the different
types of peoples (ie doctors, lawyers, tax collectors, fisherman,
etc) Anything you know or any directions you could point me
in as pertaining to the disciples would also be appreciated.
Pulpitpastor:
Hey, sorry
i took a while to answer your question, but in terms
ofbooks on social customs and the 1 century AD culture, I
recommend
Nelson's NEW ILLUSTRATRED BIBLE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS, by Howard
F.
Vos. This book has given me much heavy insight into the world
of the
first century AD.
I hope that helps...if there is any more way i can help, don't
be
afraid to ask.
|
| |
| New
member here at work in Detroit. Firefighter just waiting for
the next fire and was wondering what the club thinks about
the Word of Faith group theology. For eg. we r gods and Adam
spoke life into the animals.
Pulpitpastor:
Ah, the
Word of Faith movement...
Reminds
me of my younger
Christian days when I ran into it quite often. A book
on it that has been called the definitive work on WOF is "Christianity
in Crisis" by Hank Hanegraaf.
Also,
letusreason.org ,
apologeticsindex.com
, has some stuff on them. Any thing else?
|
Case
#4 Satanism
& Abrahamic Religion |
| Hello.
This is my first post here.
Is there an official definition of "heresy" that
is widely accepted by
Christians, especially by Protestants (or at least by one
or another major
subcategory of Protestants)? If so, I would very much appreciate
being
referred to some relevant authoritative sources, especially
Protestant
sources. (I'm interested in Catholic sources too, but I'll
be inquiring
about them separately on a Catholic list shortly.)
More specifically, I'm looking for official definitions with
a clear line
of demarcation between "heresy" and "apostasy"
or other outright
non-Christianity.
Reason I ask: Many Neo-Pagan Witches, in their "We're
not Satanists"
disclaimers, will say that Satanism is "Christian"
or a "Christian heresy."
Their point is that the idea of Satan is derived from Christianity
(and
Judaism), whereas Neo-Pagans aim to revive more ancient religious
concepts.
While the latter point is indeed valid, and while it is indeed
true that
Neo-Pagan Witches are not Satanists, I think it's incorrect
to speak of
Satanism as "Christian" or a "Christian heresy."
It seems to me that Satanism (ANY kind of Satanism, whether
theistic or
atheistic/symbolic) is way too far outside the pale of Christian
belief to
qualify as a "Christian heresy." To me a "Christian
heretic" is a person
who considers oneself to be Christian and who worships the
Christian God
but who holds unorthodox beliefs (such as rejecting the doctrine
of the
Trinity, for example). Because Satanists do not consider themselves
to be
Christian and do not worship the Christian God, it seems to
me that
Satanists should not be called "Christian heretics."
Would you agree?
I'm pretty sure that most theologically-literate Christians
would agree
with what I've said here, but I would very much appreciate
being referred
to some relevant authoritative sources, if such exist.
Second
Post
Juaism,
Christianity, and Islam have all been referred to as
"Abrahamic religions." The category "Abrahamic
religions" could
also encompass other, smaller religions that are thought to
be part
of that same tradition.
Does the term "Abrahamic religion" occur in any
Church writings, or
in writings by Christian scholars? If so, what is its exact
meaning?
(I personally have not yet encountered the term "Abrahamic
religion"
in any Christian sources, but only in non-Christian sources.)
I personally would think that an "Abrahamic religion"
is a religion
which (1) worships the God of Abraham and (2) considers itself
to be
an heir to the Abrahamic covenant. Other people might define
the term
more broadly, as referring to any religion which uses any
major themes
that originated in Judaism, Christianity, or Islam.
Like my previous question about the definition of "heresy,"
my reason
for asking this has to do with Neo-Pagan "We're not Satanists"
disclaimers. Some Neo-Pagans will insist that Satanism is
an
"Abrahamic religion." They say this to drive home
the point that
Neo-Pagans aim to revive religious ideas more ancient than
any of
the religions that believe in the idea of Satan.
To me it seems inappropriate to call Satanism an "Abrahamic
religion,"
given that Satanists, as a general rule, neither worship the
God of
Abraham nor think of themselves as heirs to the Abrahamic
covenant.
However, Neo-Pagans who call Satanism an "Abrahamic religion"
are
evidently using the term "Abrahamic religion" to
mean any religion
which draws major themes from Judaism, Christianity, or Islam.
So, if anyone here has encountered the term "Abrahamic
religion" in
a Christian context, I'd be very interested to hear more about
how
the term is typically used.
Pulpitpastor:
Hi Diane,
Qood questions!
I was wondering what Neo-pagan literature were you dealing
with?
Heresy would be a DEPARTURE from orthodoxy, and as Christians
our
orthodoxy would be based on the Bible.
Given
the splitting nature of heresy, I do not think it would be
fair for who ever these neopagans/wiccans (if they are wiccans)
are to classify or to group "Satanism" as a subset
of Christianity. Which goes on to the next point about "Abrahamic"
religions, which you identify these neopagans understanding
as reference to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Popular among
some is the belief that these three religion share the same
common heritiage through Abraham. In terms of Islam, if one
holds to the view that Abraham is the father of the Arab people,
that would be problematic. For a further development of this
topic, I recommend an article here by Answering
Islam.
That is all the time I have for now. But do share with me
your Neo-
pagan sources if you can.
|
Case
#5 Jehovah's
Witnesses and the Trinity |
| I
just (well, about 6 hours ago) met at my door some Jehovah's
Witnesses. I invited them in for a cup of tea, and a discussion
about
God (or to them, the One True God, Jehovah Almighty, He who
is
Greatest blah blah blah... can they talk or can they talk!).
We quickly passed through blood transfusions, the Watchtowerites
mistranslation of scripture, physical versus spiritual afterlife,
and
into the Trinity.
I think I did fairly well defending my predominantly orthodox
protestant views, both biblically and extra-biblically (yes
sources
outside the Bible matter theologically, especially pertaining
to
translation and documentation of The Watchtower's false portents
and
prophecies) but faltered when it came to the trinity. About
all I
have on the trinity is whatever I've picked up in scripture,
Geisler
and Rhode's When Cultists Ask, and a few lines here and there
in
miscellaneous books on scripture and/or Christianity.
I was wondering why (and I suppose if) you believe in the
trinity,
where biblically you believe this is supported. The most common
objection to the orthodox case for the trinity, the basic
case I
proposed was that all it proves is that the Holy Spirit and
Jesus are
above man, closer to God, and direct agents of His will always,
but
not a reflection of God Himself. So If you could help me address
this
objection too, I would appreciate it.
Pulpitpastor:
TOM,
GREAT TO HEAR THAT UR WITNESSING TO THE JEHOVAH"S WITNESSES...
First off to bat about the trinity, I found the best book
I've read
on this topic has been Dr. Robert MOrey's "THE TRINITY:
EVIDENCES AND
ISSUES", its almost 600 pages long. I highly recommend
it. Its very
deep, so thinking caps please! He has an appendix focusing
on
Arianism and focuses on the logical fallacies made by the
Watchtower
organization in regards to arguing against the Trinity.
I do hope that you do look into getting this book.
|
Case
#6
Dr. Laura's Letter |
| This
might have been posted sometime back when I did not yet join
this forum. But I'd be interested in hearing a Judeao-Christian
response to this obviously sarcastic letter ( aimed at Christians
and devout Jews of course ).
It was a letter
sent to the conservative orthodox Jewish talk show
host, Dr. Laura Schlesinger.
=====================================
Dear Dr. Laura,
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's
Law. I
have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share
that
knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries
to defend
the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him
that
Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End
of
debate.
I do
need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the
specific laws and how to best follow them.
a) When
I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates
a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev 1:9). The problem is my
neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should
I smite them?
b) I would
like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus
21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair
price for her?
c) I know
that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in
her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev 15:19-24). The
problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women
take offense.
d) Lev.
25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and
female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations.
A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but
not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
e) I have
a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2
clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated
to kill him myself?
f) A friend
of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination
(Lev 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality.
I don't agree. Can you settle this?
g) Lev
21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I
have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading
glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some
wiggle room here?
h) Most
of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair
around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden
by Lev 19:27. How should they die?
i) I know
from Lev 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes
me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
j) My uncle has
a farm. He violates Lev 19:19 by planting two
different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing
garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester
blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it
really
necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole
town
together to stone them? (Lev 24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn
them to
death at a private family affair like we do with people who
sleep
with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am
confident
you can help.
Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal
and
unchanging.
Your devoted disciple and adoring fan
Pulpitpastor:
First off to bat,
the open letter to Dr. Laura isn't the first of its
kind directed to Jews or even Christians. As Christians we
are no
longer under the Old Covenant (which the old Mosaic law was
under),
but the New Covenant base on grace, and not rituals and levitical
laws as the open letter seem to suggests.
You might
want to check out tektonics.org
, and look up some of the scriptural references at their apologetics
encycylopedia. Again, like I've said, the method of attack
by the open letter to Dr. Laura isn't new...its often recycled
over and over again by different people. I've responded to
a letter similiar to this that was sent to the UCLA BRUIN
student newspaper before, and if you want to see my small
attempt check out my
response to answering some of these veres.
For further reading, I recommend Dr. Robert Morey's "How
the Old and
New Testaments relate to each other" and oh, Dr. Gleason
Archer's
work, which i don't remember the title but i believe it
was "Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties".
Hope that helps.
|
Case
#7
Invitation to a Prayer Circle |
| THIS
IS A PARTICIPATIVE GROUP OF BOTH CHANTS/PRAYERS FOR OTHERS
AND
CHANTS/PRAYER REQUESTS FOR YOURSELF AND THIS IS WHY IT IS
CALLED A
CIRCLE. WE HAVE SOME PREMADE CHANTS/PRAYERS DESIGNED TO HELP
IMPROVE
VARIOUS AREAS OF YOUR LIFE and you can make a request at any
time
with our premade prayers or any that you write yourself. The
Moderator has many chants predesigned but each member is encouraged
to write their own and/or edit what is offered to more closely
fit
your needs because you will get what you ask for.
This method of prayer via chanting with 2 or more people (whether
on
the phone or on Voice Yahoo Messenger): the same words, for
the same
person and at the same time for a duration of 9 days in a
row is
proven to manifest miracles in a person's life. Just two people
doing
it for another increases the power of the words by more than
1,000
times over had they done it alone.
I have tested this method with excellent results with people's
health, major improvements with finances, and great results
with
protection but the type of prayer or chant you use is unlimited.
We
have never made it to 9 days in a row due to schedules, lack
of
participation, etc. but still with good results so I have
confidence
in this method.
I created this group on the Internet because I want to reach
more
people this way and of course make it easier to put it together
when
I have a request for myself as well because I know that it
works.
There is no problem too hard to solve with this united method
of
praying together which is why I call it chanting because we
speak out
loud. It is called chanting because we do speak by phone or
Voice
Yahoo Messenger and say the words together which will sound
like a
chant.
REQUIREMENTS TO BE A MEMBER: Must give phone number to moderator
(confidential and never shared with others) along with what
times and
dates you can chant for others because posting a request for
yourself
requires you to also chant for others and volunteer chanters
are
welcome to chant for requesters as well. No long distance
charges
either because the moderator has free long distance and wants
to use
it to help others. Moderator will call you at that time and
date that
you give for availability and we just sit at our computer
and read
the same chant/prayer for the same person at the same time.
When
there are 3 people on the phone and you have a request, you
sit in a
receiving mode while the other two chant/pray for you. You
don't
have to do it each night but having someone who will is necessary
to
keep the circle active and going so we will schedule that
as you
report your chant and availability to chant/pray for others.
The
other option of doing this would be if you have Voice Yahoo
Messenger
and set up to both talking and hear other members on the computer
because this can be done this way as well.
It is my hopes that you will join us because together we can
overcome
many more issues in life by praying/chanting together with
this
method. I hope to see you in the group soon, we are just getting
started but this is not the first time that this moderator
has done
this but it will be the first time making the success and
unlimited
possible connections within an Internet group.
Pulpitpastor:
"This
method of prayer via chanting with 2 or more people (whether
on the phone or on Voice Yahoo Messenger): the same words,
for the same person and at the same time for a duration of
9 days in a row is proven to manifest miracles in a person's
life. Just two people doing it for another increases the power
of the words by more than 1,000 times over had they done it
alone."
RESPONSE:
"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans,
for they think they will be heard because of their many words."
(Matthew 6:7)
|
Case
#8
Dealing with Jehovah Witnesses |
| I'm
a Detroit firefighter and i work with 5 yes five Jahovah
Witnesses and they are beating me down about the trinity and
I don't
know what to come back with. So my brothers and sisters in
Christ i'm
shooting up a distress flare for help
Pulpitpastor:
This is Jimmy Li...i
feel the heat...I will pray for u bout the
situation...wow, five JWs...
What are some of their objections/questions/arguements that
they have
presented so far?
Every time a Jehovah's witnesses show from the Bible that
their is
just one God, it doesn't disprove the trinity, because the
definition
of the trinity IS ONE GOD, though three in persons, same in
nature
and essence though having different roles. When the Jehovah's
Witnesses say Trinitarians believe in three gods (Tritheism)
that is
not the trinity and they are making a logical fallacy of STRAW
MAN.
Its easy to knock down a weaken inaccurate position of your
opponent
than to take the TRINITY head on.
Also, I recommend some books on the JWs and the TRinity. Robert
Bowman's "Why you should believe the Trinity" is
a response to the
Jehovah's witness'es "Should you believe in the trinity"
booklet.
Dr. James White's "The Forgotten Trinity" is another
book on the the
Trinity. The one I recommend the most is Dr. Robert Morey's
"THE
TRINITY: EVIDENCES AND ISSUES".
I'll be waitin for you to share some of their arguements...
|
Conclusion
Apologetics
is a branch of theology that can point towards the truth and share
God’s Glory. May all who read this be blessed and grow in the TRUTH.
This project is for God, in knowledge that Jesus Christ saves.
|
