Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Comments on Debate between Dr. Geisler vs Rabbi Kushner - Part 6

John Ankerberg Show


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Points

Question - to Kushner - You've said the enemy of God is man's unresponsiveness - what response does God require?

Kushner - to use their faith to keep on living -- for those who have died - we need to turn their death into an impulse for affirming life.....

Geisler - an all powerful God gives us the strength to respond that way - I don't have the motivation or strength to do it on my own..

Kushner - an awfully powerful God - but not all powerful.....

Kushner - I don't have a verse to support that God is not all powerful - but every page of the Hebrew Scripture shouts out for God's justice...Meaning, if he was all powerful, he would rid the world of injustice......

Geisler - the entire text shouts out for God's all powerfulness...

Kushner - when a child dies - - I can't say, "isn't it wonderful that the child graduated to be with God....."

Geisler - what about Psalm 16 - - - God reveals that in his presence is joy - - -in the OT precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints -- there is joy beyond the grave - - we should encourage ourselves in the passing

Geisler - we must distinguish how they died and where they are going.........I'm delighted with where they went.....

Kushner - I'm uncomfortable with when they die....couldn't they have received their promotion 30 yrs later?

Geisler - I am too - - my discomfort is not a proof that their death was unjustifiable - - we must know God plans the beginning from the end, who has our best interest at heart and the power to bring it about.

Kushner - a theological promise of an after life is not enough to counterbalance the pain of a tragic death in this world

Geisler - in a previous discussion, you said if there was an afterlife and were rewards for good and punishment for evil - that would indeed solve the problem for you

Ankerberg - no one has proof that this will happen?

Geisler - the history of the Jewish people in the OT and incarnation of Christ in the NT.....God supernaturally intervenes, prophets hundreds of yrs made prophecy - Jesus proved He was the son of God - - his resurrection was witnessed by over 500 people - - there's the evidence...

Ankerberg - Is there evidence that Moses lived?

Kushner - No.. Whether Moses wrote it or someone else it doesn't matter - its truth...

Geisler - We have more evidence that Moses lived than almost any character of the entire historical world - - He's the central figure in Jewish history - there's more written evidence that Jesus lived and historical witness than any event in recorded history during that time period...

Kushner - I don't know that Jesus existed.... I personally think He did...

Geisler - Is the NT a reliable record of his life?

Kushner - The NT is a partisan document - - - they were pushing a cause - - they defamed the Pharisees - its unreliable from that viewpoint - its a hatchet job - its a political document......The fact that the NT says that he fulfilled prophecy doesn't prove he did.

Geisler - So, its not a reliable document..

Kushner - it is not reliable in the area on the Pharisees - I know that much.....

Geisler - Is it reasonable to assume its unreliable in other areas too?

Kushner - yes

Geisler - then we cannot trust anything from the ancient world......because there is more documentary evidence, closer to the original, with more eyewitnesses that verified those documents than any event in the ancient world.....the gap between the original record and first book is less than 100 yrs - - its a 1,000 yrs for other docs- - the number of copies is a dozen for the others and 5,000 for the NT - - over 500 directly witnessed the resurrection - - - if you throw out the NT as unreliable - - you've now thrown out the entire library of ancient history as unreliable...

Geisler - the NT was written by the eyewitnesses........

Kushner - How can someone by an eyewitness to a non-event that never took place like the resurrection

Geisler - Prove it by producing the body - but no one could do that...... no one could go to the tomb and see the body...The authorities could have produced the body.

Kushner - all the people who were eyewitnesses to the resurrection are believers....is that a reliable witness?

Geisler - was Thomas a believer? was James? Some of these were skeptics.....

Kushner - In terms of prophecies, in Isiah, when the redeemer comes we'll have a world of peace and non-violence...Jews are unpersuaded because the world the redeemer was to usher in hasn't happened....

Geisler - OT Scripture states that they will look down on whom they have pierced (Zech 12) - + your prophecy you just mentioned in Isiah - the only way to do both of these prophecies is for the person to suffer, and die and then be resurrected - - He's fulfilled the first part (the suffering and dying), so we have every reason to fulfill the second part...

Kushner - We're waiting for the second part - -

Geisler - the hope is guaranteed by the fact that he fulfilled those prophecies related to his death - - all of them... We wait with evidence for the rest of them by the God who created the world and who has the power to bring the second part about..


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