-
In Matthew it is written that Jesus did not come to bring peace but a sword; in Luke it says that all those who reach for the sword will die by it. Where do these conflicting statements by Jesus come from?
-
Were the writers of the gospels creationists or evolutionists?
-
Why isn’t it a problem for some Christians to label accounts that don’t please them, for example Jonah in the whale, as metaphors? And on what basis does one draw the distinction?
-
How is it possible that a god who sees all asks Adam where he is (Genesis 3:9)? Also in this text: “And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know” (Genesis 18:20-21) indicates that the biblical god Yahweh must have a look to see what is going on.
-
And how unlikely is it that in one city, 50 righteous infants or children cannot be found who couldn’t be condemned for sodomy?
-
A god that created billions of galaxies approaches Sarah to eat a pancake. Is this realistic or plain superstition?
-
The Gilgamesh epic is the oldest source describing a Great Flood. Why are the Hebrews not being accused of plagiary?
-
Why are many Christians unaware of the influences of Celtic and Germanic rituals and customs on their faith? The feasts and festivals are Celtic, and sainthood Germanic.
-
The Old Testament describes countless despicable things that the Jews did. Why are these laws no longer applied when Jesus made it clear that he doesn’t repeal them but respects them (Matthew 5:17-19 and Luke 16:19)?
-
Tens of millions of people have fallen victim to other persons/groups who used texts from the Bible for this purpose. Is Christianity a peaceful movement?
-
Archaeologists have attempted to reconstruct biblical stories. After thorough investigation, it appears that many incidents never occurred, for example the exodus. Does this alter Christianity’s starting point?
-
The witnesses who described Jesus dozens of years later lived in a cultural climate where superstition featured prominently. Could this have influenced how they interpreted the traditions?
-
“God created man in his image and likeness.” Our bodies show countless non-functional vestiges that are characteristic of an animal background. Piloerectile muscles (arrectores pilorum), vomeronasal organ, apocrine glands, appendix, etc. From these it has become clear that it is a widely-branching pedigree consisting of countless hominid forms. Was the resemblance ape-like?
-
What is the shelf life of a blessing given to a marriage when the divorce rate among Christians is higher than among atheists? (Source: VS)
-
What is the use of “Thou shalt not kill” if Christians depart en masse for war zones?
-
In many communities “Keep the Sabbath” is proclaimed every Sunday. Isn’t it a bit presumptuous not to say a word to indicate the intended audience?
-
Why can you get good results with a faith healer when suffering from asthma, eczema and MS (where psychological influences can affect the condition) but it is pointless to go there with an amputated limb?
-
It becomes ever more clear that religious feelings have a physiological basis and that it is easy to arouse “supernatural experiences”. Why search outside people’s heads when these phenomena can be explained this way?
-
Why does religion claim a moral high ground? This while faith has thwarted people and restricted their freedoms for centuries. Ever since the Enlightenment the position for many groups has improved significantly.
-
What would the problem be if one were to change NDEs (near-death experiences) to just-still-living experiences? And if all arguments that point to a natural cause of these occurrences become preferred?
-
How was Moses able to describe his own death?
-
At several locations during archaeological excavations, inscriptions have been found that link Yahweh with a female counterpart Asherah. Why is this not seriously looked into, and the story remains limited to one-sided monotheism?
-
In biology you see social structures built around a basic ethic of fairness. In several cases, you even find assisting of the weaker and sacrifice. Do the roots of our human morality not lie here?
-
Religious movements are always at the forefront concerning matters of life and death (immortality) when there is no concrete proof of the latter. Can they then be considered reliable discussion partners?
-
In Psalm 82:1, “God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.” Who were these gods and what was their role during the meeting?
-
Why did your god put people on earth and send wicked angels there too? He surely knew that this would be a mistake and that people would be influenced by Satan. You simply don’t put children into a pit of snakes.
-
Equality principles, for example between men and women, are put under pressure by various religions. Are religious scriptures not a source of discrimination? When a woman bears a child and it is a boy, she is unclean for seven days. If the child is a girl, the mother is unclean for fourteen days (Leviticus 12:2-5). The value of a man and a woman translated into money (silver shekels) is different. For example, between the 20th and 60th year, the ratio was 50 to 30 (Leviticus 27:3-4). Making a vow to Yahweh: If a woman is married then it is the husband’s prerogative to divorce her (Numbers 30:9-13). The link provides further examples.
-
He tells his followers that his work on earth is done and he is ascending to heaven. When he said it, he was lifted up before their eyes and taken in by a cloud so that they no longer saw him. Is heaven above us or did Jesus leave in a UFO?
-
Cognitive dissonance is a psychological term describing the uneasy tension that arises when absorbing facts or concepts that are at odds with one’s own beliefs or opinions, or at behaviour that is contrary to one’s convictions. This feeling of discomfort leads one to reconsider one or more opinions or attitudes unconsciously to bring them more in line with each other, to make them compatible. Usually, others notice such a change in opinion or attitude sooner than the person himself does. Does this apply to the steadfastness of a religious belief? Even when there are sufficient arguments to prove the opposite?
-
In several passages, Jesus says people must give away their property and live in poverty. Why don’t Christians do so? Does religion then become a question of suffering deprivations, and this is asking too much?
-
Is it desirable to raise children religiously? And to do so seven days a week for many years? What is the difference from the indoctrination the communists considered for bending people to the ideas of the Party?
-
Does it benefit society when children are pressed into all kinds of boxes? Each denomination can establish its own schools where children are isolated and only hear what their particular church considers to be important.
-
Where in the Bible is hell mentioned? In Judaism the “Gehinnom” (Hebrew: גהנום, Greek: Gehenna, γέεννα) is recognised. The name is derived from the Valley of Hinnom, which together with another valley surrounds the Old City of Jerusalem. It is a precursor to Olam Ha-Ba (the world to come, cf. heaven) where one stays only temporarily (a maximum of 12 months) and where one’s soul is cleansed of sin. This involves a spiritual purification: The devil and physical pain and suffering also don’t occur in Judaism (Wikipedia). Evangelicals also speak only of Gehenna and thus refer only to the Jewish concept, not hell.
-
Why is there so much reverence for church forefathers when they were anti-Semitic (Luther) or callous murderers (Calvin)? You regularly hear that they were filled with the “Holy Spirit”. Did the “Holy Spirit” break free of god?
-
In Matthew 27:51-53, the corpses of saints rose from their graves. These living zombies are seen by many. Decades later, not a single eyewitness takes the trouble to give this due consideration. Where did the zombies go? Did they die a second time?
-
Lazarus is raised from the dead after a few days, an extraordinary event to which only one writer (John) gives any attention. Was this a conscious choice of the remaining writers or did they know nothing about it?
-
Is it dogma about attempting to reconcile the trinity with the Bible? Where are the relevant passages saying that there are three in one, a father, a son and a holy ghost (for Catholics, there are more still)? Can one still rightly speak of monotheism?
For the marathon runners, here are a few more. Originally, 95 questions/propositions were put forward to correspond with the 95 propositions against evolution or those of Luther. The number has symbolic relevance and facilitates searching. It represents a starting point for the target audience.