The Ultimate Apologetic Challenge

[Archbishop 10-K]

This is the longest challenge to the Christian faith I have ever seen. It's called "Heirophant's Proselytizer Questionnaire."

Anyone want to take a crack at it?

[url="http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/5599/hpq/"]http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/5599/hpq/[/url]



edit- Here's an example of answers submitted by a non-denominational Christian. [url="http://www.angelfire.com/tx3/ephphatha/wcs/"]http://www.angelfire.com/tx3/ephphatha/wcs/[/url]

Edited July 19, 2004 by Archbishop 10-K

[MC Just]

this aint even worth taking a crack at. These people are ignorant.

[phatcatholic]

maybe if i had a solid month to kill.....

[Quietfire]

[quote][i]31. If Jesus did have to die, why did someone (specifically, Judas) have to be damned in order accomplish the death and resurrection of Jesus? Jesus was at least a volunteer for the cross; I doubt that your god asked Judas if he was willing to go to Hell so that the resurrection could be accomplished.[/i]

In John 17:12 and in Acts 1:16, it is shown that Judas was doomed so that Scripture would be fulfilled. Prophesy is not a predetermination of the future, but only a prediction of the future. God did not make Judas betray Jesus. He just knew Judas would betray Jesus. Judas betrayed Jesus by his own free will.[/quote]

I found this one interesting, because Judas wasnt doomed or damned in the sense that the author is stating.
Judas did what he did because he refused God's grace, it had to happen because of our free will. Judas would have been forgiven if only he had repented, but he didnt. He chose to take his own life because he could not ask for forgiveness. By his own action, he is damned. Again, by his own choice and action (suicide) he is damned.


Peace.

Edited July 19, 2004 by Quietfire

[phatcatholic]

[quote name='Quietfire' date='Jul 19 2004, 08:48 AM'] Judas would have been forgiven if only he had repented, but he didnt. He chose to take his own life because he could not ask for forgiveness. By his own action, he is damned. Again, by his own choice and action (suicide) he is damned. [/quote]
i have always taken this passage to mean that he [i]did [/i]repent:

[b]Matthew 27:1-5[/b]
[b]1 [/b]When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
[b]2 [/b]And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
[b]3 [/b]Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
[b]4 [/b]Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
[b]5 [/b]And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

Although he may have repented, he was still probably damned b/c he allowed himself to be scandalized by his own sin and he took his own life. Peter too betrayed Jesus, but he did not give up. In remaining steadfast, Peter was given the opportunity to reverse his betrayal w/ a three-fold profession of love for Christ. Judas, however, resorted to spilling his bowels onto the ground

pax christi,
phatcatholic

[p0lar_bear]

I think the sin that Judas probably did not repent of (we don't really know for sure...) was that of despair. He repented of betraying Jesus, but then despaired of being forgiven and so, took his own life.

[Antonius]

Wow. This guy is hardcore. It seems he is mostly logical with his questions, but there are traces of "stupid questions" and (what seems to me) distortion of facts. Nevertheless, this is a big argument against Christianity.

I would hope that the Pope (who majored in philosophy in college) could answer this guy's question. Also, I wonder how many Catholics wrote good responses in the cold, hairsplitting, philosophical language that the Hierophant enjoys? I do not have the time nor the training nor the knowledge to answer his questions.

Sometimes I wish we could resurrect St. Thomas Aquinas or St. Augustine or any of the Doctors or Fathers to come and refute this stuff.... We'll see.