#apologetics — Public Fediverse posts

Apologetics isn't just about defending faith; it's about understanding beliefs deeply and engaging thoughtfully in today's world. How do you approach tough questions?

#Apologetics #Faith #Philosophy #Christianity #Belief

Bible prophecy has fascinated believers and skeptics alike for centuries. From the visions of Daniel to the revelations of John, these texts challenge us to consider the future and our role in it. What prophecies resonate with you? How do they shape your understanding of faith today? Let's dive into these ancient texts and explore their meanings together! #Prophecy #Faith #EndTimes #BibleStudy #Apologetics

Proving God isn't about certainty through fear—it's about reading the evidence: cosmology points to a Creator, historicity backs Jesus, and Scripture reflects reality. How does evidence shape your view of God? Share your thoughts.
#ProvingGod #CosmologicalArgument #ExistenceOfGod #Apologetics #Theism
https://www.chrissbiblenewsletter.org/p/can-we-prove-christs-resurrection

Apologetics is more than just defending faith; it's about understanding the reasons behind beliefs. Engaging in discussions can strengthen our own faith and help others explore theirs. What questions about faith have you encountered that challenge you? Let's dive deep! #Faith #Reason #Discussion #Belief #Apologetics

Apologetics is not about winning arguments; it's loving neighbors with honest reasons for the hope we claim. When faith meets reason with humility, doubts become dialogues. What question has challenged your faith—and what changed after you explored it?
#Apologetics #FaithAndReason #ChristianApologetics #DefendingTheFaith #ReasonForHope
https://www.chrissbiblenewsletter.org/p/why-we-need-apologetics-and-what

Apologetics is more than just defending faith; it's about engaging with questions and doubts in a meaningful way. How do you approach tough conversations about belief? Let's explore the importance of understanding different perspectives and building bridges through dialogue. #Faith #Reason #Dialogue #Understanding #Apologetics

Proving the Bible starts with evidence: manuscript abundance, eyewitness testimony, and archaeological confirmations. What question about its reliability would you ask?
#BibleEvidence #BibleReliability #BiblicalArchaeology #Apologetics #ScriptureTruth
https://www.chrissbiblenewsletter.org/p/the-bible-isnt-a-game-of-telephone

Exploring apologetics sharpens our understanding and equips us to thoughtfully engage with diverse beliefs and questions about faith.

#Apologetics #Faith #Reason #Christianity #Philosophy

Bible prophecy has fascinated believers and skeptics alike for centuries. From the visions of Daniel to the revelations of John, these texts offer insights into the future and our place in it. What do you think is the most compelling prophecy in the Bible? Let's discuss! #Prophecy #Faith #EndTimes #BibleStudy #Apologetics

Apologetics is not about winning arguments but giving thoughtful, compassionate reasons for our hope. It invites questions, meets people where they are, and aims for truth with humility. What question challenges your faith?
#Apologetics #BibleEvidence #ChristianWorldview #ResurrectionEvidence #DefendTheFaith
https://www.chrissbiblenewsletter.org/p/why-we-need-apologetics-and-what

Apologetics: Flippin’ Fatwa Friday – Speed Running Surah 2:203-237

Back with speed running Surah al-Baqarah, we’re speed running verses 203-237.

We start off where we left off on verse 203. Until we get to verse 213, it pretty much the usual stuff, where we’re told that Allah doesn’t like mischief or anyone who makes mischief, and that if he’s provided a bunch of signs to prove his existence. However, once we hit 213, we find that the Quran finally gives us some lore. According to the Quran, mankind was once one people under one religion until they started having disagreements, which led to division. To ramify this and make the truth known, Allah sent a bunch of prophets (starting with Noah) to reveal the truth about where they differed, but they wouldn’t listen and continued to split.

But here’s where it gets interesting since according to the tafsir on this verse, Islam is the ultimate truth that clarifies where things are disputed. The issue with that though, is that if we look at the Quran and the Bible, even things that aren’t disagreed on by Jews and Christians get changed randomly by the Quran, for absolutely no reason. If it was sent to smooth over the theological and doctrinal rifts between the two, it just made things worse.

Moving on from that, verse 214 tells Muslims to expect adversity, 215 tells them to give alms, and 216 tells them that not only is jihad (as in fighting unbelievers) necessary, but obligatory. There is absolutely no room for being a peaceful Muslim. You are required to fight according to the Quran. And to further instill fear in Muslims of what will happen if they don’t fight are verses 217-218, which says that if they turn back and reject the faith, they will never get into Heaven. Essentially all their good deeds will be deleted by Allah, similar to how you lose all your XP if you cancel a course on Duolingo.

But don’t worry, the Quran doesn’t linger long on that warning since verses 219-221 hop back to commanding Muslims to give alms, not to gamble or drink, to help orphans, and not to marry unbelievers.

Then we have verses 222-223, which are ridiculously misogynistic. Verse 222 says that women who are menstruating are unclean and are to be treated as such. Now, I wouldn’t totally have a problem with this if it were just taking from the similar command in the Bible, which was meant for a certain time and place, but the Quran’s version of this is universal. Additionally, is the fact that in both 222-223, the Quran tells men that their wives are like a “tilth” (a piece of fertile ground) that they can take when, where, and however they want, as long as they do some good deed for Allah, first.

Handmaid’s Tale much? In today’s vernacular, that would be like calling your wife an oven for making babies (or something worse).

Verses 224-225 warns Muslims not to make oaths in Allah’s name against doing good, acting rightly, or making peace. Then 226-227 hops into what to do if you’ve taken an oath of abstention. Naturally, this only applies to men, and the Quran only says that if a man takes an oath of abstention, he only needs to abstain for 4 months…unless he’s getting divorced. In that case, he can abstain from his wife for as long as he wants.

Speaking of divorce, according to verses 228-233, divorce is completely permissible and you’re allowed to divorce the same woman up to two times. You’re also allowed to remarry, and, if both parties don’t want the kids, you can give them away to a foster-mother until they finish suckling. After that, who knows what will happen since Muhammad abolished adoption. I assume they’d be going back to one of their parents (probably the father), though that would be an awkward conversation.

Finally, verse 234 jumps to what to do if you die and leave behind a widow. After death, they are to wait four months and ten days before moving on. Then it jumps back into divorce, including divorcing someone before the marriage is consummated in 235-237.

Until next time,

M.J.

Apologetics is more than just defending faith; it's about engaging with questions and doubts. It invites us to explore the depths of our beliefs and understand the reasons behind them. How do you approach tough questions about your faith? Let's discuss! #Faith #Reason #Philosophy #Debate #Apologetics

Apologetics: Flippin’ Fatwa Friday – Screw It. We’re Gonna Speed Run Surah 2:159-202.

It’s been at least three months since I last wrote a Flippin’ Fatwa Friday post criticizing the Quran. We’ve gotten 158 verses into this thing, though I hoped to be in Surah 3 by now. So, I’m going to switch tactics and instead of going chunk by chunk, I’m just going to speed run a massive chunk of it, picking out the ridiculous stuff so we can finally be done with it sooner.

Starting with Surah 2:159-171, we get a bunch of stuff about Allah’s clear guidance, both as revealed in the Quran and in nature. It talks about how wrong non-Muslims are for not worshipping Allah despite those things, how they’re cursed by Allah and the angels, and how Muslims are to stay faithful to Allah. Real fun stuff.

Moving on from that into Surah 2:172-173, we get some food laws. One would think that the section on food laws would be longer, similar to what we get in the Torah, but no. Instead, we just get two measly verses, which say:

172.O ye who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you, and be grateful to Allah, if it is Him ye worship. 173. He hath only forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name hath been invoked besides that of Allah. But if one is forced by necessity, without willful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits,- then is he guiltless. For Allah is Oft-forgiving Most Merciful.

Interestingly, the only reason I can think of why these food laws are here is because the Quran is the really bad fanfic of the Bible that tries to be like it but fails miserably. Other than that, I’m not sure why it’s here.

Then we have Surah 2: 174-176, which talks about people concealing Allah’s revelations for profit. These verses aren’t talking about the Quran, but, according to the Islamic scholar Ibn Kathir, are talking about the Jews allegedly hiding verses in the Torah that showed Muhammad to be a prophet. Some Muslims may try to use these verses to show how the Bible has somehow been corrupted, but in the context, it seems that the Quran is talking about them hiding these supposed verses in their oral recitations. It says nothing of the actual text itself.

Verse 177 illustrates how Islam offers a works-based salvation, giving readers a laundry-list of things to do to get in Allah’s good graces. Verses 178-179 talks about equal retribution, but not in the sense that we would think of it. The way we Westerners who have grown up in a world built on Christianity would see equality and justice would be in the sense that all men are made equal in the eyes of God. There is neither slave nor free, man or woman. However, when the Quran talks about it, it’s only referring to equal retribution for your specific group, saying:

178.O ye who believe! the law of equality is prescribed to you in cases of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, the woman for the woman. But if any remission is made by the brother of the slain, then grant any reasonable demand, and compensate him with handsome gratitude, this is a concession and a Mercy from your Lord. After this whoever exceeds the limits shall be in grave penalty.

Surah 2:180-182 talks about what to do with your possessions after you die, and 183-187 talk about Ramadan. I’ve already written a post, on this, which you can check out here.

After that, verse 188 seems to be randomly thrown in, telling people essentially not to usurp other people’s wealth or possessions through various means, before jumping into the topic of times to worship Allah in verse 189 and how to enter a house.

Because how you enter a house is as important to Allah as how you pee. I wish I were joking, but that’s Islam for you.

Surah 2:190-194, however, isn’t so funny, as it commands Muslims to wage jihad. While Muslims will argue that the fighting mentioned here only refers to self-defense in cases of persecution, we need to ask what counts as persecution? Is persecution something that happens when you’re actually being attacked and your life and community is at risk just for existing? Or is it anything that you don’t like, such as mockery, and self-defense on their part? The reason I bring this up is because Islam has had a long history of its followers whining about being persecuted, even though they instigated the attack by mocking or attacking the other side.

As though that wasn’t bad enough, verse 195 then tells Muslims to spend money in the cause of jihad. The Quran literally tells them to finance wars against the infidels.

Finally, verses 196-202 talk about the Hajj, which I’ve also done a post on which you can read here.

Until next time,

M.J.

Blog/Apologetics: Being an Apologist Isn’t What You Think It Is…

In my travels through the Christian community on social media, I’ve noticed a trend. Apologetics seem to be on the rise, especially in the polemics field, amongst millennials and Gen Z. More people are becoming interested in it and are wanting to start their own YouTube channels and social media accounts to do apologetics on.

However, while it’s a good thing that more people want to do apologetics and are becoming interested in it, many of them seem to be going into it blind to what the reality is. It appears that many of them see big names such as Frank Turek, Wes Huff, David Wood, GodLogic, and others and believe that apologetics is glamorous, that it will bring them internet fame and fortune and – bonus – it’s all being done in the name of Jesus. But if you strip away the glamour, what you find is much harder.

Everyone should be an apologist to the extent that they can give a reasoned defense of the faith, but apologists aren’t just people who defend the faith from outsiders. Apologists are the guard dogs of the church. We are the ones who start barking when the wolves are near, but more often than not, the wolves are already in the church. Because of that, apologetics becomes one of the most stressful jobs in the church because you will have to call out false teachers, teachers who often have a large following and are beloved by many. Calling them out almost totally guarantees that you will get backlash from fellow Christians.

While that doesn’t sound too bad, getting backlash from other Christians can often hit harder than getting backlash from people outside the church because it makes you realize how truly dysfunctional the church is. Sure, some people can recognize a wolf, but many in the church won’t and may try to shut you down. You suddenly find yourself getting slammed with a similar type of vitriol that you would expect to find outside the church by the very people who say you’re their brothers and sisters in Christ. That type of thing just hits different.

That also leads me to my second point. If you want to become an apologist, prepare to be hated. Depending on what topic you specialize in, your comments section might be better or worse when it comes to trolls, but you will still get them, and you will need to grow a thick skin.

Third, know that if you’re going into apologetics for fame and money, then you’re not only not doing it for a good purpose (and thus, shouldn’t be an apologist at all), but you’re also going to be sorely disappointed. While apologetics is getting more popular, you likely will not have a huge channel following and probably won’t be making a ton of money from it.

Until next time,

M.J.

Apologetics: Debunking Deconstruction – Who Created God?

A very common question that people ask is “Who created God?” We’ve all heard it asked before, from kids and adults alike. In our minds, it’s a legit question, especially since everything around us is created. So, does God have a creator?

The short answer is “No.”

All of this goes to the fact that God is eternal. The Bible constantly talks about this, saying:

“Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” – Psalm 90:2

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” – Isaiah 40:28

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” – Revelation 1:8

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” – 1 Timothy 1:17

As I defined it in my post on if the universe is eternal, eternity is a state of infinity. It has no ending and no beginning. It never changes. If the Bible – God’s Word – is affirming Him as the being the everlasting God, then He is saying that He isn’t created because He affirms that He has no beginning.

Until next time,

M.J.

Apologetics invites you to explore why faith makes sense in a confusing world.

Reasoned arguments, historical evidence, and humble questions can deepen belief without arrogance.

#apologetics #faithandreason #defenseofthefaith

#Bible #prophecy #end #times #apologetics

Apologetics invites honest questions and patient dialogue about faith.

It focuses on reasons, evidence, and respectful exploration rather than pressure.

#apologetics #ChristianApologetics #defendingthefaith

Apologetics: Debunking Deconstruction – Why Can’t the Universe be Eternal?

In a conversation I had with an atheist, I was asked the question “Why can’t the universe be eternal, conscious, and all-knowing?” Somehow, this is supposed to show a double standard in Christian thinking since we claim that God is all those things, but don’t believe that the universe can be. Additionally, this line of thinking isn’t just something you see in atheism. It’s something that pops up constantly throughout a myriad of world religions. So why can’t the universe be eternal, conscious, and all-knowing?

To begin, let’s look at the question of eternity define what makes something “eternal.” Eternity is a state of infinity; it’s never ending. It has no beginning and no end. That means that if something is eternal, it can’t have just popped into existence, and it can’t have an end.

With that in mind, we can safely say that the universe isn’t eternal. While there are many theories about how this will happen (such as the Big Crunch), scientists agree that the universe will end at some point. If the universe were to end then, it cannot be eternal. Eternity cannot end. In fact, the universe reaching its end at some point actually proves that it had a beginning. It can’t have always been there.

Then there’s the question of “Can the universe be conscious?” This has been a point of debate amongst philosophers and scientists alike for centuries. However, consciousness is the state of being aware of oneself and one’s environment. It’s the ability to feel emotion and to react to stimuli. If you cut a conscious being, they will flinch and probably get angry. If you cut an unconscious being, they will have no reaction whatsoever.

By that standard alone, the universe can’t be conscious because it does none of that. Sure, some things may induce some sort of reaction (i.e. an asteroid hits another asteroid and they shatter), but does it do anything to react to it on an emotional level? Does it care about what happened? No.

Interestingly, the very suggestion that the universe is conscious rest on something that atheists, in their pursuit of ignoring the supernatural completely, try to frequently deny: the existence of a soul. According to an atheist worldview, there really isn’t much separating us from a rock. Sure, we may be the result of more advanced chemical reactions, but taken to its logical conclusion, according to atheism, everything about us is just from random atoms bumping into each other. There really is no inherent value to us. And technically, if everything is just a mix of random chemical reactions, then can we truly be any more conscious than a rock is?

Consciousness in of itself requires the existence of a soul to separate us from everything else. What that means for atheists is that it could be possible for the supernatural – the thing they deny – to exist.

Finally, there’s the question of “Can the universe be all-knowing?” In order for something to be omniscient, it first needs to be conscious. We’ve already established that the universe isn’t conscious, so the claim that it’s all-knowing is already on shaky ground. Second, an all-knowing entity must be able to know the past, present, and future, which would imply that it lives in a state unencumbered by time – that it’s eternal. Already, we know that the universe is time-bound and can’t be eternal, which, combined with the first criteria, means that the universe can’t be all-knowing. It’s a created thing. Even if I were to give it the benefit of the doubt and said that it has a soul and is conscious to some degree, it can’t be God because it’s not all-knowing and it’s not eternal. It is not the Alpha and Omega.

Until next time,

M.J.

Apologetics: Debunking Deconstruction – Is Free Will a Thing?

As I mentioned last week, I got into a debate with an atheist in my comments section who said that free will can’t exist if God knows everything. He believes that if God knows everything, then we can’t actually choose anything for ourselves, and He is ultimately the one causing people to be sent to Hell. This can be a sketchy topic since answering this question can easily send a person into the theological weeds, but here’s my take.

Ultimately, the answer to this question is that knowing doesn’t equal causing. It is true that throughout the Bible, there are plenty of passages about God knowing what will happen. Take, for instance, Isaiah 46:9-10, where it says:

9Remember the former things, those of long ago;
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.
10 I make known the end from the beginning,
    from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
    and I will do all that I please.’

However, there are also a myriad of passages which talk about human responsibility. One example is in Deuteronomy 30:19-20, which says:

19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

From this, we can see that while the Bible says God knows everything that will ever happen, it also says that we have a choice between God’s way and our way. Rather than being contradictory, this is more complementary. As an illustration of how this works, imagine that you have a friend who’s wildly predictable. Even when presented with numerous other choices, you know that they’ll go for the same one every time. They’ll pick chocolate over vanilla or strawberry. They always pick plain T-shirts over graphic Tees. They always wear Converse even if Doc Martins are the better choice. You get the picture.

You knowing what they’re going to pick doesn’t mean that you’re causing them to pick that thing. They could still pick any of the other options, they just don’t.

It’s kind-of like that with God. Though He knows everything we’re going to do, He gives us a myriad of opportunities and chances to pick a new path. If you’re a non-Christian, He gives you chance after chance to turn towards Him. If you’re a Christian, He gives you opportunities to obey Him.

Further, not allowing free will isn’t something that’s in line with God’s character. God is all-loving. If He didn’t give us free will, He couldn’t be all-loving because for love to exist, freedom of choice must exist. If Adam and Eve hadn’t been given the option to eat of the tree of good and evil, they could never have had a true relationship with God.

Now, at this point the question of predestination pops up, since the Bible also emphasizes predestination a lot as well. This one has led to a huge debate, with the two major sides being Calvinism and Arminianism. Some Calvinists are more extreme than others on this question, but the overall view on that end is that God’s grace irresistibly draws in those who have been elected by God to be saved. Calvinists teach that we aren’t completely free and can’t really choose God in our sinful state unless we’ve been chosen by Him and regenerated to follow Him. Arminianism, on the other hand, teaches that God’s election is based on foreseen faith, in which case it’s up to us to accept God’s grace or reject it.

[Author’s Note: Personally, I generally lean more towards Arminianism, but try to stay somewhere in the middle on this one.]

Either way you look at it, it’s not an essential of the faith and there are Bible verses to back up both views. On one hand I can understand the Calvinist view since if your heart is hardened against God, it often takes a work of the Spirit to soften it so you can accept Christ. At the same time, however, I also can understand the Arminian perspective that God’s election is based on foreseen faith. Ultimately, though, there’s a great level of mystery to it that we’re likely not going to totally understand in life, but it’s better than the alternative that atheism provides.

Until next time,

M.J.

Apologetics equips us to give thoughtful reasons for our faith.

It invites questions, curiosity, and civil dialogue.

#apologetics #christianapologetics #defendthefaith

Apologetics invites us to reason with humility about faith.

It's not about winning arguments, but guiding hearts toward truth.

#apologetics #faithandreason #defendthefaith

Apologetics: Atheism Confuses Me – Is Free Will a Thing?

Continuing our discussion about free will, one of the strangest things about atheism is how much atheists brag about how much freedom they have. Without God, they have total free will and can run around doing absolutely anything they want! They have no one to hold them accountable, unless someone with more guns comes in and demands they act a certain way (i.e. the government), but you know…technicalities.

However, despite this seeming lack of responsibility to any higher power, atheists seem to forget one critical point – atheism can’t support the existence of free will.

Atheists, before you get angry at me and start commenting, hear me out on this.

According to atheism, since God doesn’t exist, everything exists by way of random chance. The universe, the earth, the plants, animals, and yourself are all the result of accidental chemical reactions that continue to this day. That means that you as a person are a conglomeration of a bunch of atoms bumping into each other, forming molecules and creating chemicals that react with each other, doing different things, including fueling your conciousness.

This is where the free will thing starts to come into play. Scientists still don’t understand human consciousness. The closest thing they can get to understanding it is by mapping your brain’s activity, seeing what parts of the brain release what, etc. What actually causes consciousness, though, is still a mystery. It’s kind of a chicken-or-the-egg scenario depending on who you ask and what you’re talking about. For example, if someone’s depressed, are they depressed because of a legit neurological or chemical issue that was already there, or is it caused by them thinking about things a certain way that’s causing their brains to act accordingly? Is it a mix of both? Scientists still aren’t quite sure.

I say this is where the free will thing comes in because according to atheism’s worldview, since everything is matter and is the result of matter running into each other and reacting, then that means everything you do is the result of those chemical reactions. Because of that, you can’t actually decide to do anything. You can’t control what the cells that make up your brain do any more than I can control the weather. And if you can’t control that, then ultimately, you can’t have free will, because free will requires some degree of control.

So, what does that mean? If we can’t have free will because everything we do is a chemical reaction, where does that leave us?

The moral dilemma posed by this aside, the existence of free will is something that can only exist if humans have a soul, if humans aren’t just made up of matter alone. Once we acknowledge that we have a soul, then we must wonder who created that soul? After all, a soul can’t be made of matter or anything measurable. It’s supernatural and points to the existence of the supernatural, which should then make you wonder which God or gods has created that soul.

Until next time,

M.J.

Scripture study and prophecy cover end times, heaven, hell, and the millennial kingdom.

Apologetics, cosmology, logic, and causality frame God, Jesus, and biblical ethics.

#BibleProphecy #Apologetics #BiblicalEthics

Scripture study deepens faith as we explore prophecy, heaven, hell, apologetics.

Explore cosmological and teleological args, logic and causality, and biblical ethics, faith, God, and Jesus.

#BibleProphecy #Apologetics #CosmologicalArg

Scripture study ties Bible prophecy, end times, heaven and hell to apologetics and Biblical ethics.

Explore cosmological and teleological arguments, logic and causality to prove God and Jesus.

#BibleProphecy #Apologetics #BiblicalEthics

Study scripture, prophecy, millennial kingdom, heaven and hell, and apologetics.

We weigh cosmological and teleological arguments, logic and causality, seeking proof of God and Jesus.

#BibleProphecy #BiblicalEthics #Apologetics

Scripture study illuminates prophecy - end times, heaven, and hell.

Through apologetics, biblical morality and ethics meet cosmological and teleological arguments toward proving God and Jesus.

#BibleProphecy #Apologetics #BiblicalEthics

Scripture study and prophecy frame end times, heaven, hell, and the millennial kingdom with apologetics and ethics.

Cosmology and teleology, plus logic and causality, help prove God, Jesus, and the Bible.

#BibleProphecy #Apologetics #BiblicalEthics