Category Archives: God’s Behavior

68. Is God… evil?

Posted on September 17, 2017 by 500 Questions

The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Contradictions, God's Behavior, Logic and Reason, Old Testament | Tagged , , | 56 Comments

67. Why doesn’t the Bible acknowledge microorganisms?

Posted on August 27, 2016 by 500 Questions

So much has been written by creationists and intelligent design proponents about the origin and complexity of single-celled organisms that one might assume the Bible was filled with references to them. But while the Bible does mention the creation of trees, … Continue reading →

Posted in God's Behavior, Intelligent Design?, New Testament, Old Testament | Tagged , , , , , , | 47 Comments

66. Why doesn’t sin carry natural consequences?

Posted on February 10, 2016 by 500 Questions

Had our world been created by a moral designer, we might expect evil actions to carry natural consequences, in much the same way that other actions carry negative consequences. For example, if we touch fire, we are burned; if we touch … Continue reading →

Posted in God's Behavior, Intelligent Design?, Logic and Reason | Tagged , , , | 67 Comments

63. If God can write on a wall, why can’t he write his own Bible?

Posted on March 8, 2015 by 500 Questions

Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. — Daniel 5:5 According to Daniel chapter 5, God … Continue reading →

Posted in God's Behavior, Logic and Reason, Old Testament, Prophecy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

61. Are we allowed to test God?

Posted on January 4, 2015 by 500 Questions

We all know we’re not supposed to test God, but why not? Without evidence, it’s difficult (if not impossible) to tell the difference between a real god and a fake one. Most Christians contend that God does not allow for testing … Continue reading →

Posted in God's Behavior, Logic and Reason, Miracles, Prayer | Tagged , , | 47 Comments

57. What about Pascal’s Wager? Why risk going to hell?

Posted on September 27, 2014 by 500 Questions

Blaise Pascal was the seventeenth-century French philosopher and mathematician who famously argued that, in the absence of conclusive evidence, it was better to wager that God existed, since you had everything to gain and little to lose. Pascal writes: Let us … Continue reading →

Posted in God's Behavior, Heaven and Hell, Logic and Reason | Tagged , , , , | 82 Comments

56. Why did God create Satan?

Posted on August 3, 2014 by 500 Questions

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ~ Colossians 1:16 God’s creation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Contradictions, God's Behavior | Tagged , , , , | 246 Comments

47. Can we “just know” that God exists?

Posted on June 16, 2013 by 500 Questions

I often hear believers say that they “just know” that God exists. This seemingly innate awareness of God’s existence can be used as grounds to override and dismiss any and all evidence to the contrary. My own wife uses this … Continue reading →

Posted in God's Behavior | Tagged , , , | 48 Comments

46. How did marsupials migrate from Noah’s Ark to Australia and the Americas?

Posted on May 23, 2013 by 500 Questions

Marsupials are similar to placental mammals, but differ in how they reproduce. Most marsupials lack a placenta, so they are unable to feed their offspring in the womb. Instead, after only a few days of gestation, their young must crawl out … Continue reading →

Posted in God's Behavior, Intelligent Design?, Old Testament | Tagged , , , , , , , | 50 Comments

44. Why would God make us so unintelligent?

Posted on March 13, 2013 by 500 Questions

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. ~ 1 Corinthians 3:19 The mind of God (assuming such a thing exists) is a truly incredible and incomprehensible thing. Not only is it able to keep tabs on the sins and actions … Continue reading →

Posted in God's Behavior, Intelligent Design? | Tagged , , , , | 63 Comments