#STRask

How Do We Know Moses Interpreted His Experiences of God Correctly?

Questions about how we know the biblical authors (Moses, etc.) interpreted their subjective experiences of receiving revelation from God correctly as opposed to Mohammed or Joseph Smith and how to respond to the idea that we can have different truths and both be right.

 

• All supposed revelation of religions involves a subjective experience of receiving that revelation, so how do we know the biblical authors (Moses, the prophets, etc.) were interpreting their experiences correctly as opposed to Mohammed or Joseph Smith?
• How should I respond to a meme claiming that your truth is not my truth and we can both be right?

How Is Biblical Inspiration Different from Automatic Writing?

Questions about how biblical inspiration differs from automatic writing, whether or not we don’t know who wrote 74% of the New Testament, signing a man-made statement of faith, and how, if the Word of God is powerful, someone who taught it faithfully can go rogue theologically.

 

• How is divine inspiration of the Scriptures different from the automatic writing they have in cults?
• It really does not bother you that you don’t know who wrote 74% of the New Testament? It could have been anybody.
• Is it okay for me to comply with a new requirement for clergy in my denomination to pledge fidelity in writing to its statement of faith?
• If the Word of God is powerful, how can a preacher who once taught the Word faithfully go rogue theologically?

How Is God Just If So Many Wrongs Go Unpunished?

Questions about how God could be just if so many wrongs go unpunished, an objection to God punishing people in Hell, and whether God’s promise to meet all our needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus is referring to physical needs, spiritual needs, or both.

 

• The cross only upholds justice between God and man, but where is justice among men? How is God just if so many wrongs go unpunished?
• An infinite being existing outside of the time and space he created will set us on fire if we don’t let him be called King of our planet? Is that usual behavior for deities?
• Is God’s promises to meet all our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus referring to physical needs, spiritual needs, or both?

Is the Principle of Double Effect Legitimate When It Comes to Abortion?

Questions about the legitimacy of the principle of double effect when it comes to abortion and saving the mother’s life, whether laws should protect the unborn baby at the expense of the mother’s life, laws for non-viable pregnancies, and changing pro-choice areas vs. leaving.

 

• Is it just a cop-out to cite the principle of double effect when the unborn baby dies as a result of saving the mother’s life?
• What should lawmakers do when it comes to situations where the mother has to choose between her life and her baby’s life? Should she be forced to carry the baby and die as a result?
• Do pro-life abortion policies make it difficult for doctors to assist pregnant patients because they have to wait until the mother is in danger to address non-viable pregnancies?
• Is it better to stay in an area that’s historically pro-choice and try to change it or move to a pro-life area?

What Biblical Principles Should Guide How We Vote?

Question about what biblical principles should guide how we vote.

 

• What biblical principles should guide how we vote?

Should We Only Study the Truth in the Bible and Not Learn About Other Beliefs?

Questions about whether we should only study the truth in the Bible and not learn about other beliefs, whether the apologetics approach is contrary to the warning in 2 John 10, and the biggest change STR has seen in the types of questions asked over the years.

 

• If people who are trained to identify fake currency only study the real currency, should we therefore only study the Bible and not learn about other beliefs?
• Isn’t the apologetics approach contrary to 2 John 10, which tells us not to let anyone in our home who has an opposing view?
• What’s the biggest change STR has seen in the types of questions asked over the years?

When Does a Human Receive a Soul?

Questions about when a human receives a soul and how to respond to someone who rejects science, reason, philosophy, and objective morality in her effort to defend abortion, saying that pro-lifers just want to control women.

 

• When does a human receive a soul? In the zygote stage, the cells haven’t differentiated yet, and some become the placenta, but the placenta doesn’t have a soul, so why would the zygote?
• Should I give up trying to persuade someone who rejects science, reason, philosophy, and objective morality in her effort to defend abortion, saying that pro-lifers just want to control women?

What if God Intended for My Child to Transition from a Girl to a Boy?

Questions about how to respond to someone who says that maybe God intended for her daughter to transition from a girl to a boy and how kids in a small youth group with a child who identifies as non-binary can navigate that situation with respect and allegiance to the Word of God.

 

• How do I respond to my sister who says that God doesn’t make mistakes and maybe he chose for her daughter to be trans as a challenge for her to overcome (i.e., he intended for her daughter to transition from a girl to a boy)?
• How can my 10- and 12-year-olds, who are in a small youth group with a child who identifies as non-binary, navigate this situation with respect as well as allegiance to the Word of God?

How Do We Know if the Good Things We Experience Are the Result of God’s Actions?

Questions about how we know if the good things we experience are the result of God’s actions, whether something can be considered a miracle if it can be explained scientifically, and how to respond to atheists who are mocking a Christian’s prayers for rain.

 

• Believers credit God for the good things that happen to them, but good things happen to non-believers also, so how do we know if the good things we experience are the direct result of God’s actions or would have just happened anyway without his involvement?
• Can something still be considered a miracle from God if it can be explained scientifically?
• Recently, a Christian who said he was praying for rain in a drought was mocked by atheists who said prayer won’t create rain. How does one respond to this when the drought continues despite many prayers?

How Would One Argue That a Particular Truth Is Self-Evident?

Questions about how one would argue that a particular truth is self-evident, the biblical justification for the claim of our Founding Fathers that God gave us the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and the right to liberty vs. submitting to governing authorities.

 

• How would one argue that a particular truth is self-evident?
• What is the biblical justification for the claim of our Founding Fathers that God gave us the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and what are the limits of our right to liberty in light of our command to submit to our governing authorities?