A Question

As we have previously discussed in this blog, Christianity has a wealth of evidence for its beliefs; it is a very reasonable belief.  However, this fact does not mean it is irrational not to believe in Christianity.  There are two reasons why.

First, while there is a considerable amount of evidence for the validity of Christianity, not everyone in the world has the time or inclination to research and discover these facts.  Not all of us have the time to take courses in apologetics.  Not all of us can acquire a doctorial degree in religious studies.  We have other tasks that consume our time such as our job, our life’s work, and so we must make do with whatever information about Christianity we incidentally acquire as we go through life.  Also we might be raised in another religion and it is very unlikely we would investigate Christianity to see if it is true.

Second, it is a fact that we do not have absolute proof for God or for the validity of Christianity; other reasonable people can disagree with our beliefs.  This fact is simply the human condition which is how God made us.  We are finite which means our knowledge is incomplete and our ability to know what is true is limited.  And that includes our knowledge of God, Jesus, and the Bible.

I do not know of any person who has conducted an honest investigation into the validity of Christianity who would disagree with the above two observations.  The problem with these two observations is that they conflict with one of Christianity’s doctrines.  Most Christian religions and denominations teach that Jesus is the only way to God; we must believe that Jesus died and was resurrected for our sins to be saved and go to heaven.  My question is:  If God decided that the only way to him and heaven is through Jesus, why did he make us finite?  A reasonable person can doubt the existence of God, the fact of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the fact the Bible is the word of God yet God will condemn such a person to hell.  That is not a God of love and justice we read about in the Bible.

J. P. Moreland, in discussing how to choose a religion, stated that a religion should profoundly address the human condition. [1]  The above questions are questions about the human condition that seemingly contradict Christian theology.  God evidently is requiring us to do something (believe in him and Jesus’ death and resurrection for our sins) that he made us incapable of doing.

This is a question that I do not see Christianity addressing.  Why?  If we Christians consider our faith to be rational, if we spend enormous amounts of time and money on demonstrating the rationality of our faith, why would we ignore this problem?

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[1]   J. P. Moreland, “Arguments for the Existence of God”, Biola University, The Christian Apologetics Program, Audio CD.

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