Question:

Thank you sir for answering my many questions.   My Hindu friend insists that the Bhagavad Gita is the best book ever, and gives so many answers to the questions of life.  Can you give me an answer as to why this book doesn't solve the problem of the sin of mankind?  Also, are there any similarities between this book and the Bible?

Question:

Hello Dr Oakes. I am taking an early Judaism and Christianity course in university and I have a question about the Bible.  My teacher is very critical towards the New Testament writers and writings (as most are in the department of religion) and he told us in class the other day that the first complete New Testament didn't show up until 356 CE, over 300 years after Jesus. He talked briefly about how spread out the gap is (concluding that his disciples could have written what they wanted about him to make him look better than he was).  Is this date of 356 true? I did my own research and came across dates that were much earlier than 356. I had one at 110 AD.

Question:

I was wondering if you can send me some material on the question that many Christians and others struggle with. Why is God so angry,violent and vengeful in the Old Testament and gracious in the New Testament? I would really appreciate if you can provide some good material on this subject.

Question:

Parchment 470--a Catholic writing from 250 AD that says they worshipped Mary in the early Christian church. This is from a Catholic scholar's site from Canterbury England, I should have written down his name but I forgot to do so. He is trying to win Protestants to his Catholic faith.

Question:

How does the view on suffering in Christianity differ from other religions?   Does Christianity have a better answer?

Question:

I'm watching a TV show called Criminal Minds, and the FBI agents often have to lie to serial killers to get the information they need to save other people or they lie to the general public for their own safety so as not to induce a panic or to throw the criminal off so he/she will make a mistake and they will catch them. The lying can weigh on the consciences of the agents but they do it for good - to protect, save, or catch certain people. So my question is essentially, is it ever ok for a Christian to lie? Thanks in advance.

Question:

I’ve been thinking a lot about why God created us in the first place because it doesn’t really make sense to me. I have been researching and trying to find scriptures that explain it, but haven’t really found what I’m looking for. I know the Bible says we were created to glorify him and that part make sense. But it’s hard for me to understand the fact that he knew we would be imperfect and he created Satan to give us a choice. So why would he create something that causes him pain? Earth was perfect until he created us and he knew that he was giving us a choice. Obviously, choosing between him and ourselves. He gave us the bible to show us how to live the right way and in a way that would glorify him but he also tells us how hard it will be.

13 “Enter through the narrow gate.For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

So knowing how hard it would be for us to enter the narrow gate, how much pain it would cause him if we chose the wide gate, why would he do it? He could have created anything. So many things he created beautiful and perfect that don’t hurt him. It hurts us too. Either path will be painful.  Even though the narrow gate will bless us in the end it’s still hard and goes against what everyone else around us is doing. Then he sends his son, he loved him, and sent his son to die for the possibility of us choosing him. So basically, God suffered with Jesus because of how much sin we have, for the chance that we would either glorify him or cause him more pain?

Question:

Were our founding fathers Christians? I tried to google this and I get secular answers and articles, saying that the founding fathers were deists not Christians.

Question:

I've been listening the audios of the Evidence for Jesus classes [available at www.evidenceforchristianity.org].  Thank you very much for them. But I have a doubt about the claims of Jesus in John 10. Verses 34 to 36 are rather confusing for me. It says:     34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”'? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?    I read Psalm 82 and I'm still confused. I understand it to mean that people who know the law or the truth (only Jews at that time, but perhaps it applies to us now) can be considered as gods, and Jesus is also a god, but a very special one--God's Son. Jesus' answer is not like : 'yes, I AM GOD' but more like: we all are gods...I'm a very special one. At least that's what I understood.   This is specially important for me because here on campus I have a Mormon friend who is inviting me to her church. She even gave me the Mormon book [the Book of Mormon, presumably]! I want to know how to answer their claim that we all can be gods...just in case...she has not used this scripture so far...not even any other, but when I read this I immediately thought of her.   Thank you very much in advance!

Question:

Is it possible that your standard Jewish citizen of Roman Judea would have had foreknowledge of the Old Testament prophecies and planned to have fulfilled them with an intent? Would Jesus have done such a thing to manipulate the prophecies purposely in order to convince his followers and enemies that he was indeed the Christ and Son of God?