Questions Regarding Christianity

Questions with a * next to them are ones that I have answers for, but haven't had the time to put in here. Please do not respond to them, unless you feel that you have a special viewpoint. Thanks.

  1. * How was the Bible compiled and written?
  2. * What evidence do we have regarding the authors of the Bible?
  3. How do the thousands of ancient copies of the Bible compare with each other? In other words, how sure are we of its static nature?
  4. * How do the Dead Sea Scrolls validate (or invalidate) the Bible? From what I understand, they are the writings of a non-mainstream branch of Jews, but that they do mention Jesus. Why haven't the scrolls been translated for the common person?
  5. What evidence is there that parts of the Bible are an amalgamation of stories? I'm thinking of the two creation accounts, written in different styles, and one using YHWH while the other not.
  6. * How sure are we that Moses wrote the Pentateuch (or even lived)? He describes his own death, and calls himself very humble (doesn't sound too humble to me).
  7. * How long were the books of the Bible in existence prior to our oldest copies of them?
  8. * What is the history of the collection of the books of the Bible into its form today? When was is done, and by whom? I've heard there are five or six versions of Revelations. And Catholics and Protestants are also debating what is "in" the Bible.
  9. * Why did God require Jesus' sacrifice? If he is omnipotent, then he could have removed this requirement. If he can't be in the presence of sin, then he could remove it.
  10. How could a being that knows the future change it?
  11. What were the criteria for deciding on the books of the Bible? How was it decided that the Apocrypha were not "God-breathed"?
  12. All through the Old Testament, God tells the Israelites that they are special, above all other nations. Jesus first says, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel" before changing his mind to heal a sick Canaanite. (Matthew 15:22-28) How do we know that Jesus' message was meant for all people, as opposed to just the Jews?
  13. I've heard it said that the Bible shows unexplainable knowledge of science. Exactly what knowledge does it show that can not be attributed to common sense or past experience?
  14. * Exactly where was Jesus' coming predicted in the Old Testament?
  15. Does the New Testament make the Old Testament obsolete? I'm thinking of Exodus 21:12 versus Matthew 5:17.
  16. Where is slavery denounced in the Bible? Isn't depriving a person of their freedom wrong?
  17. Are there only 144,000 places in heaven?
  18. * Where does the Bible mention Heaven and Hell explicitly?
  19. * Are God's chosen people, the Jews, going to Hell?
  20. Are people who have never heard of Christianity going to Hell?
  21. Are babies who die before they learn to accept Jesus going to Hell?
  22. Can one discover God without having what is commonly called a "personal experience"?
  23. How is Christianity unique? How is Islam unique? Buddhism?

  24. Besides the possible implication of Elohim being plural, where else in the Bible is the concept of a three part God mentioned?
  25. Where in the Bible is the concept of Satan being a fallen angel introduced?
  26. I've heard that the Egyptians were printing hieroglyphs on papyrus as far back 3000 b.c., and that the Greeks also have written records going as far back as 1000 b.c. The Chinese also have very old records. Why don't their records describe a global flood? Why weren't these records wiped out by the flood?
  27. God's purpose for the flood was to remove sin from the earth, but it doesn't appear that he succeeded. Why?
  28. Jesus seems to have only very rarely provided direct answers to questions posed to him. Why? Doesn't this seem to say that he was avoiding the questions?
  29. How does prayer work? Does God already know what we are going to ask before we say it? If a person speaks in tongues, does that person understand what he or she is saying? If not, who's doing the praying?

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