Sitting here trying to prepare myself everyday for a phone call that my sick twenty five year old Daughter is gone; my only comfort right now is the cross. My saviors resurrection ensures me that no matter what happens, ill will see her again in paradise. GOD bless you Dr. Lennox. Please pray for my Daughter.
Must be a terrible road to walk when a parent lost a child.. I can only hug you and give words of encouragement. 'This is the word of the Lord: we who are alive in Him and remain on earth when the Lord appears will by no means have an advantage over those who have already died, for both will rise together. For the Lord Himself will appear with the declaration of victory, the shout of an archangel, and the trumpet blast of God. He will descend from the heavenly realm and command those who are dead in Christ to rise first. Then we who are alive will join them, transported together in clouds to have an encounter with the Lord in the air, and we will be forever joined with the Lord. So encourage one another with these truths'. 1Thes 4:13-18
Lennox is way off. In my book Homoexternicus I mention that no one on planet earth knows what god is and that includes Lennox. I would debate him on this point any day but he will avoid me.
Honestly, this guy is one of the few apologists who I believe is truly saved.. With many others you see pride, absent from love for Christ. You see arguments, yet no thought or heart for Christ. He points to Christ, and not his opinion or argument. I usually don't like apologists, because of the pride you see coming from them, the way they look down on people who's eyes have not been opened, yet with him you can see he understands that it is only by grace that his eyes have been opened. I also loved how he didn't say that he believes in Christ because of great reasoning, arguments or scholastic evidences but because of the actual human evidence; the power of change that salvation brings. As Paul said, I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God unto salvation... it truly is powerful and not some dead believe that leaves you unchanged.
Kristian - Yes, but only IF we submit to it. I've been a believer for just over 20 years and I've struggled. But I've seen greater joy in tough times than in good times. Being in the will of God is where we find contentment when the world gives us disease and death.
@@ultimatebugsRavi Zacharias, and all them guys from Apologia Studios (all calvinists) who pride themselves so much on their "knowledge" and eloquence
I wouldn't be quite so dismissive of apologists in general, but you do touch on a truth. Winning the argument against atheism is important in the sense that we have aeons of misinformation to correct. The culture has been at war against Christ for hundreds of years and we can't abandon our children to be at the mercies of these ravenous wolves that we call religious skeptics. That said, if what motivates the apologist is simply the desire to win the argument or make a name for himself, he's doing it for the wrong reason and it may turn out not to be helpful for his own spiritual well-being. "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" -- Matthew 7:21-23 We have to be on His side, not on ours.
>I can listen to John Lennox talk all daylong. Me too...I was so privileged to attend the Cambridge Apologetics Conference in 2023 and this year also and the experience has stayed with me every day.. a C.S Lewis for our age... warmest regards, Karen
This is the video that changed my mind completely I am catholic but I had questions and I was skeptic, Mr John Lenox you are a truly man of God for doing what you do, God bless you Sir, I have now restablished my faith ! God it’s incredible, he revealed to me ! I was in complete tears feeling something inexplicable ❤ it was God
@MarisaHoare I want to scream it to the world ! I’ve never felt this peace before, the way I’m conducting my life now it’s completely different, for the first time in my life I can say I am happy to be alive 🥺, I was too depressed and I was smoking marihuana to relieve the pain of living in this materialistic world..
@@Netomp51 Glad to hear you are seeking after God again.. :) Catholozism is different to the Bible though, just saying... It is actually anti biblical the teachings of the catholic church.
@@e.n.6079 maybe you didnt know this and thats fine but Catholics were the oned who decided which books are in the Bible today, so saying catholicism is antibiblical implies ignorance
Why? If Christianity is true, it gives meaning to suffering and hope for redemption. If not, other systems of thought or philosophies need to be explored to address fundamental existential questions. The argument largely hinges on accepting Christianity as true. For some, basing happiness or consolation on a hypothesis can seem fragile. For those who adhere to Christianity, faith in its doctrines and promises can provide a framework of meaning and comfort. However, for others, this faith might be seen as an uncertain hypothesis rather than an established truth.
This god, John believes in, is an all-loving, all-knowing one "IS IT"? THAT GOD CAN NOT EXIST, but if one does exist, then it is clearly a psychopathic one! you know, allows such a world where 15,000 innocent children die every day, yet we are told it's a loving god?? BS!
I had the high honor of sharing a week long conference with Dr. John. Each of us spoke twice per day. I felt so utterly small; but he was so very gracious, kind, and encouraging. His passion is as prodigious as is his vast intellect. He’s genuinely humble and kind. A treasure to the church.
God has given us a way out startining in John the 3rd chapter and then from those Apostles that survived Christ in Acts 2:38. No one should claim to be a Christian and not have God in them. He even gives us a sign when He comes as He did all those that received Him by speaking in an unknown tongue through our own mouth.
"Faith is a malignancy that no system can tolerate with impunity ; and the man who succumbs to it , will call on it in precisely those issues where he needs his reason the most." -Nathaniel Branden-
Read read read and you will gain knowledge. Have faith and God will give eloquently speeches... remember Moses complained to God about his speech...but was His brother the Lecturer chose from his golden voice
The people I see struggling the hardest with these questions are the ones who have never heard what True Christianity says, but they've listened to what this denomination or that denomination says ABOUT what the Bible says. That's like hearing an ignorant neighbor talking about another neighbor and buying into it, instead of going and meeting that neighbor for yourself, and forming your own opinion. Start with the book of John. (The Bible is not chronologic to be read as a novel.) It's YOUR soul at stake, don't let anyone else have the final Word, but God!
I knew Jesus Christ in my suffering. Not in church, not in family, not in friends, not in school, not while I was peaceful, not while I was happy, but during the darkest struggles of my life. There He was, and the cross. Only then I realized, how in my suffering, compared to Jesus Christ on the cross, Im way too comfortable.
What an amazing testimony. So many Christians, including myself, falter in the face of real adversity. You make me want to do better. Many God bless you. Thank you.
Thank you God for men like John Lennox, relatable and understandable explanations to difficult questions for believers and non believers alike. I pray that you will continue to raise up more men like John Lennox.
*"there is no rationale justification for morality without God; and there is no rationale justification for science without God"* Nonsense, and *very common* nonsense. Morality is a human project. It evolved as we evolved, and does not require some external judge. Science is a method of investigation *humans* developed. How terribly sad that religions teach otherwise, in direct contradiction to what we observe. Furthermore, any thinking person should consider the following: even in the unlikely event that a "god" existed, on what grounds should anyone feel obligated to it (assuming we had a way to know what it wanted)? What if we disagreed with it? I'm sure you've been indoctrinated, and the sooner you learn to think critically, the sooner you will abandon your ancient superstition.
@@vgrof2315 lol .. really!? Then why are you here listening to this video? The truth is that you have an itch to scratch and your inner most being is unsettled and craves connection to it's Maker. Jesus Christ Loves you sir! And that will never change... If only your heart would🙏
@@chikkipop morality has everything to do with God... if there is no God then there is no moral code, beacuse then by what standard do you live, who's standard? Science? Look around and observe as you say! Everything you see and touch is the made from miraculous hands of God. Intelligent design - requires an intellectual maker! Have you driven your car lately? Did design and purpose come together in order to build that machine? Or did evolution suddenly put it together? Your eyeball for example is a marvel of design no lens has ever come close to its replication. Knowing God? If you listened to John Lennox video you would understand that God incarnate is Jesus Christ. He Loves Sir...and that will not change, if only your heart would 🙏
@@SheepDog1974 The "itch to scratch" is the desire to speak out about our fellow humans and their remarkably naïve belief in ancient superstition. YOU don't get to decide anything about our "inner most being," especially given your own blindness to the *indoctrination* that led to your magical beliefs.
James 1:27 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
What a remarkably gifted and persuasive speaker John Lennox is. I love the way this man explains things. Unlike many atheists and Christians who heatedly debate contentious issues around the existence of God Lennox does so respectfully with clear logical well thought out arguments and with a touch of warmth.
I think most of his logic here is pretty poor, to be honest. Morality does have a rational basis - it's what happens when organisms like humans can recognise that the pain certain things cause in them will cause similar pain in others. It's about our brain-state, our emotions, our experiences and logic. To expect morality to be baked into the universe, even to inanimate objects a thousand light-years away, or to be "above" humanity, is silly. Morality is a human social concept. It's real, it's important, and it's a rational part of human life. The idea that the "atheist way" has problems is just silly. Atheism is just non-belief in theology. It doesn't have a specific way of dealing with suffering; there are atheist Buddhists, there are atheist drug addicts, there are atheist counsellors. It's like saying not-stamp-collecting is a bad hobby since it doesn't pass the time. Just illogical nonsense, I think. The Good God/Suffering problem does have a simple answer - there isn't a God.
Wow! What an apt submission! And no doubts, it is well articulated too. Refreshingly liberating! In summary, it answers to a very large extent the questions bothering our minds on the authenticity of Christianity. Well said Sir!
I am 93 y/o and am so pleased to hear such a highly respected Scientist to expound the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a world of all sorts and ages as even great Evangelists and Preachers of today have missed b/c Dr. Lennox has emphasized the evidence aka the TRUTH.
Amen John Lennox, you put it in a nutshell when you said "it has to do with Christ..." in that short and simple sentence lies the answer to all things. God bless you, keep up your wonderful work.
" The modern Mephistopheles is the soft-toned preacher in his pulpit - the editorial sophist in his net- work of lies, - the political crocodile on his “planks” and his platforms.” -Arthur Desmond-1890
Suffering is like the rain, it falls on the just and unjust. God could minutely control it where it only falls on the unjust. But then the liberty He grants to humanity, would be sorely curtailed. We are free to err, but also free to win. Still in this journey called life we often make mistakes, often are in the wrong place, or just have a scale that must be balanced. And only God knows ALL the answers. This I believe, without God I would be LOST. Thankfully, I have Christ who leads me. Thank You Lord. Godspeed pilgrims.
I don't miss that John Lennox position of Dr., Math Prof. at Oxford and mainly as Christian and his message that he is not "looked down on" by his equals to be, unusually, so well-versed with proof and facts. His respect provides him with listening by them ! I hope they respond.
I love to hear this man speak! Indeed God took suffering upon himself and made it very close to us and very real. Also, suffering is our fault. We disobeyed God and this all suffering and all death are due to our actions.
At 5:54, we have a passage that addresses that: "For WE DO NOT HAVE A HIGH PRIEST WHO IS UNABLE TO SYMPATHIZE WITH OUR WEAKNESSES, BUT ONE WHO IN EVERY RESPECT HAS BEEN TEMPTED AS WE ARE, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."-Hebrews 4:15-16.
This is how alcoholics overcome alcoholism. By trusting in a higher power. God. The only catch is you've got to pass it on to someone else. Helping others stay sober helps yourself stay sober. Once the ball begins rolling, your whole life is transformed from the inside out. By gods grace.
The reason they wonder about suffering is because they want what they want and they want it now, instead of accepting God's Truth. Jesus said, "daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me but for yourselves and your children". He warned us of evil things coming down the road, but people want God to just fix everything now. He can fix everything now, but that would mean destroying everything now.
When I accepted Christ into my life something happened within myself. Living by the 2 most important commandments of the Law of Moses that Christ emphasized is not easy. I have failed many times. Once I released the notion that God was not a Santa Claus or a genie in a bottle entity that provided my heart's desires I was able to experience God.
@@theartzscientist8012 This is what happens when you take a single verse out of context. When we read the entire chapter and indeed book, then we see that John 17:3 is not a denial of divinity, but an affirmation of the persons of the Trinity, which is why both Jesus and the Father share in His Glory. (God does not share His glory with anyone, except Himself). Both Hebrews 1:3 and John 14:8 affirms that Jesus and the Father are One in being. Also Jesus did claim to be the answer in John 14:6 "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
@@theartzscientist8012 The only failure here is your failure to read the rest of the passage, although I suspect that you are willfully ignoring it because it refutes your claim.
Doctor John Lennox Is An International Treasure 🪙🎉🎉🎉🎉‼️ Blessings On You Sir And Your Family Too In Yeshua Jesus Christ's Precious Saviour's Name Shalom And Amen!✝️✝️🛐🛐😇🌟🤗🙏🙏🙏🇨🇦🇮🇱♾️🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🗽🦅❤❤❤‼️
Amen! Jesus changed my life! I am a new creation! Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus for this lovely brother John Lennox. 🎉❤ It's all Christ! Our lovely Messiah YESHUA!
Atheists are fond of pointing out various shortcomings in the Bible, which, if one is minded to think that the Bible is inerrant, those shortcomings become significant as they demonstrate the opposite. But I have yet to see an atheist video on the shortcomings of Jesus' teachings. They all dodge the central questions of the Water of Life (the Spirit of Truth) and the Bread of Life (his outstanding teachings), and whether or not it is rational to become more perfect.
And as my good friend who is also a professional chemist and theologian would say. Today's questions about the Bible are beyind anything they ever thought would even be conceived.
@@NSOcarth That's irrelevant. Baptised babies are still pure of faith in Christian/Jewish law. Jesus himself stated that children are pure and free of sin.
I don't know for how long John Lennox will be on this earth, but I am so grateful to Almighty God that such videos are available to help many more people, even after he has been taken home. God bless you, sir. You are an inspiration to many.
If you had never tasted the love of God, you wouldn't know. But that's not His fault, He stands at the door and knocks. Not just for some, but for all of humanity. He knocks and asks you to allow Him in. Some say He didn't knock but the Bible says He is not far from us all. When people come to Jesus they often weep because they feel Him and they feel the guilt and shame being lifted away. So, there are people who won't come but they also try to prevent others from coming. That's exactly what the Bible says they will do because they don't want to give up their evil deeds. A stoney heart against God is evil whether we realize it or not. Sin has caused the evil. Come, and let Jesus show you the way to peace.
Looks like you are quoting Revelation 3:20, Jesus in John's revelation to the church at Laodicea. He's talking to a church that is 'lukewarm' that has ignored Christ and his santification. It is not addressed to unbelievers. The call to unbelievers is to...believe and repent.
@@dagwould It's addressed to the angel of church at Laodicea which quite possibly had many "unbelievers". Every church has both wheat and tares, sheep and goats. Commenting on this passage, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown says the following: "this is a further manifestation of His loving desire for the sinner’s salvation. He who is Himself “the Door,” and who bids us “knock” that it may be “opened unto” us, is first Himself to knock at the door of our hearts. If He did not knock first, we should never come to knock at His door. Compare Son 5:4-6, which is plainly alluded to here; " It would not be necessary for Jesus to knock if the door had already been opened. Some think the "angel" is a pastor. That's just a guess, but an angel is a messenger so the message was clearly sent that some among them had not repented. Sad to say that there are so many churches today filled with people who have never repented.
There are some who wrote about it but very few indeed... Probably it is hard for them to understand it because it seems not related to the common gospel being preached by the evangelists...
@@Truth-Be-Told-USA, Sorry, I don't have an excellent memory, but I have read it somewhere sometime, and I concluded that if someone write it, then there might be some others who write it also among these multi millions of Christians, if I have not read it, will I know it? Did you survey the multi millions of Christians that you concluded that none write about it? Plsase use your brain sometimes if you have time...
@@reynaldodavid2913Jo you need to provide the evidence not me. You believe that event actually happened and yet you have zero evidence. I use my brain and consider evidence before deciding on reality of events
@@Truth-Be-Told-USAthe event actually happening was indeed recorded by non Christian Roman and Jewish historians. I will not be able to tell you all of the overwhelming evidence for that event in a RUclips comment section, but the tiniest research from you will see many answers. I recommend looking into lee strobel and what he discovered
After 10 years teaching apologetics at my church, I became agnostic last year. As an apologist, I always subconsciously grouped the problem of evil and the problem of needless suffering together, as John does here. There are fine enough answers to the problem of evil, but not to the problem of needless suffering. We clearly don't live in a world with the most amount of suffering possible, things could be worse if there were an evil God. There is also clearly more needless suffering than necessary (caused from nature and circumstance, not evil people), far more than we should expect if there were a good God. Neither an evil God, nor a good God explain the needless, non-evil suffering in this world. Non-belief doesn't claim to "solve" suffering. I don't know why apologists insists it tries and fails to.
If non-belief is the response to suffering, then it follows that the non-believer now thinks they have solved the problem in some way. Otherwise, why else would they change their opinion?
Genesis explains why there is death and suffering. The ultimate expression of that was God on a cross. So you want to believe in the God that is or one made from your own understanding?
@@andrevisser7542 I agree it did not add up. It is the internet after all so we never really know who people are or what they are pretending to be. My guess is an atheist masquerading as a Christian masquerading as an agnostic...complicated I know.
John is well meaning but he doesn’t answer a single proposed issue with any tangible answer. No one in the comments even recognize this because they allow him to use Christian generalizations as blanket answers. Redirection everytime.
He nailed it spot on. Too many times the world is taught an aversion to true Christianity, and John Lennox got it exactly. I am not afraid of the Gospel and Word of our Lord Jesus Christ, because our Lord makes the way where therr is no other way and point of being. Listen to this. What a testament to what it really means. Mr. John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford.
@@CyreniTheMage Everybody believes something. The natural sciences cannot answer the question whether matter and energy is all there is or not. Whoever wants to believe that dust + water became alive by itself and that a human is just a bunch of chemicals, fine with me. But it's not science! The exciting question is: what is the origin of the universe, life, intelligence and love? It's interesting that some people even believe that their intelligence is the product of non-intelligent particles... Your free will alone shows: the self that is looking through your marvellous eyes cannot be reduced to physics and chemistry. "This conclusion strongly reinforces our belief in the human soul and in its miraculous origin in a divine creation." John Eccles, neuroscientist and Nobel laureate You are not an accident but a masterpiece. And loved, more than you can imagine 💕
They believe that some day we will be able to explain how the first cell found the 1 in almost 1 trillion possible combinations of carbohydrates that happened to be compatible with that first cell in quantities large enough to sustain it until it could reproduce and make more, and that's just one of millions of extremely improbable variables that had to line up exactly make abiogenisis and unguided evolution a viable explanation for life in the Universe. The belief that someday we'll find as yet undiscovered Natural Laws that will dictate how all those millions of incredibly unlikely events had to happen that way and were not unlikely but inevitable, I find that belief to be unbelievable.
Everyone knows there is a God. The evidence is all around us. In fact, the Creator designed the universe so that His many invisible attributes would be “clearly seen” in the things He made, so that we are “without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
@@duncescotus2342 Yes. Phil 3:10: "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;"
First off, the "question of suffering" is NOT the hardest question we have to face. But, the question of suffering IS directly related and a result of the actual "hardest question". what is it? i will explain: In Genesis, when Adam and Eve rebelled against God and ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad, they were not merely eating from a random tree. it had a title. Titles are given to things of importance or significance. That Tree represented God's authority over mankind. In eating, they stated that THEY would decide right and wrong themselves. notice that i said "would". not "could". we were never given that ability to rule one another successfully. our problems of wars, violence, injustice, hunger, disease, death, etc. all prove that we cannot. Adam and Eve's rebellion led, eventually, to mankind's earthwide governments. therefore, the hardest question we have to ask ourselves is, "will i show myself a rebel also and choose to support Satan's system? will i show support by voting, joining the military, getting involved in politics, etc?" OR "will i follow the bible and trust that God will sanctify His name in the future?" that automatically answers your question of why there is suffering in the world.
Your own feelings are mostly coming from your thoughts, life experiences and desires and they are altered due to our fallen nature. Holy Spirit pierces and breaks through all of those and you will now it once you experience it. And on top of that, Holy Spirit heals your mind and your heart of any bad thoughts or anything that hinders you from knowing the true God.
Simply put: if we live our lives believing that life ended when our body is dead, then, there is no God. But, the fact that there is life after death is a prove of the love of God to us human. We never ended. We just continue on to the next level. So, whatever pain or disaster that cause us to die becomes irrelevant anymore. Because, there is God who takes us on further into His kingdom where there is no pain or anything like it.
You think about yourselves too high. Millions of people believe in God's existence is not nonsense. In contrary, believing there is no God is pure nonsense.
@@sanjeevgig8918 where can you find proves of your thoughts? Either you say it, you write it. Spiritual experiences of life after death of thousands and even millions of people cannot be ignored. They say what they have experienced, they write what they have experienced. Those are proves so far. There might be more proves when our technology have reached that level.
@@Benjamin-fu5ij I don't really understand what you see in him compared to other apologists. Most of what I've ever heard him say in defence of his theistic position boils down to an argument from ignorance. We don't know this, therefore God. This thing is unimaginably unlikely, therefore God. How do you explain X if not God?
If you believe God is unknowable you’re still in the dark. It may sound offensive but we are genuinely trying to reach you who don’t know Him. He’s not unreachable, but there is a process to finding him. If you’re unwilling to accept his terms you’ll only come to know Him when it’s too late. That reality is hard to face.
@@coryanderson5210 *"you’ll only come to know Him when it’s too late. That reality is hard to face."* Too late for what? And what *reality* is hard to face? And who is *"Him"?* *"It may sound offensive but we are genuinely trying to reach you"* What's offensive is making very strange claims and not having the slightest reason anyone should accept them.
Darwin and Freud used the excuse of pain to justify walking away from a Creator. Personally, I think the more educated the person is the more they are just looking for an excuse that way they don't have to obey the Creator's Natural Laws. That's not going to work on judgment day. The smart person knows the Creator cannot be "odepus rex'ed" and should start a plea bargain.
John seamlessly moves away from difficult questions changing the subject as he goes. So let's go back to the start and try again. Why does a loving God allow such suffering and tragedy which wasn't man made. If you can't give a straight answer I'm going with Dawkins natural selection, even though it holds no comfort.
@@chikkipop this is Just Lennox Propaganda... .he's IGNORANT...of the Fact of freemason Influence in the world.... which is the root of MUCH Suffering in ALL areas & sectors of Life...... Colossians 2:8 - Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Jesus
No. Theists refuse to look at how incredibly unlikely it is that a supernatural realm exists. They somehow manage to believe that brain cancer killing millions of children over the history of our species is consistent with a good God.
Very clear the word of God as in Acts 28:27- turn and I would heal them, anyone who doesn't come to God and surrender his life to Jesus Christ , he judge himself already, Why ? As says in Hebrew 4:6-8. To God be the Glory,
On suffering - I agree that God shares all our suffering with us, in addition to experiencing it on the cross. But the question "why does God permit suffering" starts with a faulty premise. It assumes we are incapable of preventing suffering ourselves. Mentally and logistically, we're capable of preventing a lot of suffering, what we're not capable of, is getting everyone to agree that we're all in this together. Suffering is the consequence of bad choices... ours, our parents, our leaders, etc. If pain and suffering were not the result of bad choices, we'd have no feedback loop letting us know when we had messed up! We would never, ever learn from any of our mistakes! Is that what any atheist wants?????? And yet, that's the implication of this widespread trope. Mommy saved us from our bad choices as kids, why doesn't God? Uh, 'cause God wants us to grow up? Just like a normal father would do? Hmmm... very interesting...
My mom didn’t bring a rare cancer on herself cause of bad choices She has zero risk factors for any cancer Suffering isn’t always from choices It’s a part of the world god made
Yeah there is very strong evidence for God and for Christ. Paul writes it this way: 2Cor 5:16-19: "Therefore from now on know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet from now on know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; That is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation." The New Creation is the evidence. Christ IN me/you the hope of glory!
This is no evidence, let alone what you call it: "very strong evidence for God", These are big words to describe a bunch of baseless claims. Dear religious people, please, please, for your God's sake and the sake of humanity, please just learn the agreed-upon meaning of words before using them. Please lock up the meaning of a few words like evidence, proof, claim, fact, truth, lie, reality, delusions, living in a bubble, wake up, return to reality because you are hurting yourself first, then people close to you, then your society, your country and the rest of the world. Yes, you are! You won't believe me, so here is a quote from a great man: "I believe it is an established maxim in morals that he who makes an assertion without knowing whether it is true or false, is guilty of falsehood; and the accidental truth of the assertion, does not justify or excuse him." -Abraham Lincoln
@@olio9276 This is strong evidence. FX. Maximilian Kolbe in Auschwitz. Paul Schneider in Buchenwald/Weimar. But a man imprisoned in a materialistic worldview cannot understand spiritual things.
Or this one: How can someone look at the unbelievable complexity of life and the universe and not see how ridiculous it is to believe it all came from nothing
Good question, so maybe they came to a conclusion that there is more to life than trying to be intelligent. Just maybe... It goes to say that the gospel has little to do with intelligence, and most probably just a will to recognize that we have sinned. So it's up to each one off us to accept the forgiveness or not. For me it took me four years before I wanted to let go of my ego, and I'm glad I did. The inward fight of me thinking I'm better than others is over and can easily let go... Just saying, I hope you can appreciate others to be set free of an inward problem that only seems to be dealth with on the cross.
@@marcdeschrevel1458 I’m sure many people are happier as Theists. I can only ask ‘If the claims are false, would I want to know?’ My own answer is ‘Yes’. Your answer is of course a matter for you.
@@markharris5107 EVERY Xtian claims everything must have had a point of origin or creation except God, who is just magically exempt from that hard requirement. LOL
That's not the hardest question. The hardest question is: How does the chord to my headphones get tangled up worse than a Scotsman's beard just by being in my pocket for ten minutes? 😡
What's intresting is that all your nuclear dna deals with trillion of times worse twist interactions. And you're alive only because your cells can figure it out.
@@con_boy Cells don't figure anything out as far as I'm aware. But yes, there are lots and lots and lots of steps involved that process, and I understand if one would consider that interesting.
I would imagine that it would be very difficult to explore all of the avenues that exist unless a human being was able to gather tremendous power first of all to begin with than basically transfer that power in different directions but also knowing how without giving it all away because if someone gathered great power and than they changed direction and than gave away all of that power than it would cause the world to change so fast that it would be nuts.
John would roll out the same old strawman arguments. Sam would call him out on it. John would smile in his best impression of a Teletubby and continue to lie and assert fallacious arguments and declare himself the winner.
Death and suffering was not God’s original plan; it was only after man sinned that decay came into the world, and death is a part of that. God is STILL the answer to pain and suffering as well as evil. This is why we pray…. 😎✝️
So God said, “Oops”? He did not know this would happen? Then why was Christ slain “from the disruption of the world”.(Rev. 13:8). That was before Adam and Eve.
Christianity and Judaism are both testable. I tested them both and came to the conclusion that I am Messiah, Shiloh, Joshua, the Branch. Quick question for those who think they truly understand these words: what does the word Shiloh have in common with the name Joshua? The answer to this is the reason that Jews expected the Savior Messiah to be named Joshua (yes, that's my name). Shiloh means something like "He for whom it is," as in, the one for whom the World was made. This is the result of a clearly 'Semitic' existential philosophizing, as in Job: All of this must have some purpose, and so, whoever fulfills that purpose must be the one for whom everything is made (this thinking is similar to some Mesopotamian concepts regarding kingship), and thus, that person is referred to as Shiloh. Now, in the El Amarna letters (if you don't know, go read), the Canaanites of middle 2nd millenium bce used the word ia-ši to mean "for me." Of course, "Joshua" conquered the Canaanites in the Hebrew myth. The glory of the conquering of Canaan was "for him," and so he was named "for me." The Assyrians used the same word, ia-ši with the same meaning. Hebrew scribes exiled in Assyria (a millennia after the claimed time of Joshua) would have noted this word and used it as a symbolic filler for the true history. The true history is preserved in the El Amarna letters, where Canaanite rulers are writing to the Pharaoh asking for his assistance in defending Canaan from invading 'Apiru, who eventually established themselves in Canaan around that time, taking many cities. The 'Apiru/Habiru/SA.GAZ were a class of "dusty" ('Apiru is cognate to Hebrew epher, meaning "dust") people who were known as murderers and thieves. Their history stretches back to Southern Mesopotamia, from which they eventually migrated to Canaan, exactly as the mythical Abraham. The only people attacking Canaanite cities around the time of "Joshua" were the 'Apiru, Hebrews. This is fairly apparent in the record, so the Hebrew descendants of those marauders rewrote history to paint themselves and their claim to Canaan and all of the Levant in a valid light, by way of this idea that God mandated their conquering of Canaan, because it was FOR JOSHUA. Indeed, it was FOR ME.
When we look at what God is growing here, suffering and evil make more sense, don’t they? Isn’t God growing our faith and love? Do suffering and evil help or hinder the development of our faith and love? And doesn’t John answer it beautifully?
Wrong context, bro. People who doesn't have a real connection with God, when they experience evil and deep suffering they will tend to get bitter and deppressed, some even to the point of committing suicide. Only those who are connected in a real way with God and has repeatedly experience His personal love for them filling their hearts, will have the inner strength and wisdom to go through all the tribulations and be victorious. I have seen religious and active church members fall into deep deppression and bitterness when they experienced tragedy in their lives (ex. the death of their most beloved son/daughter).
@@vtino4825 remember the parable of “Wheat and Tares” and “Talents”. We are all together, evildoers and (trying to be) righteous, and we are all given different gifts, and everyone of us are judged by what we have done with our own set of gifts, and are not compared to anyone else, are we?
You can be a person of deep personal Faith but not what anyone would call 'religious'. I have followed the Guidelines of Problacism for many years and consequently I have been given everything I could possibly ever need or want. I also don't suffer from any anxieties, fears or depression. Problacism does not require any prayer, churches, iconoclasm or worship. All it requires is that you lose all your ego and indiscriminately help everyone who is 'sent' to you without any expectation of recognition or reward. Trust in the Universe and be Relentless.
Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father but through me.” Don’t trust in the universe, trust in the one who created the universe. Do not rely on your good works to get to Heaven. You’re a sinner just like the rest of us. You have one hope, not yourself, but Jesus Christ. Do not confuse blessings on earth with an indication of your salvation. Let’s not forget that Jesus lived a life with no home, and said that the poor will become rich and the rich will become poor. When you die, you will face a holy and just God, and he will give you justice based on your crimes. “The wages of sin is death”. He’s paying you death for what you’ve done in sinning against Him. Your only salvation is accepting the imputed righteousness from Christ Jesus.
God can draw straight with crooked lines. He uses secondary causes to move us to the place we were always meant to be - with Him. What is confusing is why the fall happened in the first place. Can't get my head around two people who walked arm and arm with God every day would disobey and turn their back on Him
There is hope when you feel hopeless, but where is the help when you feel helpless? What does one do when you continuously pray to God to show you the way and ask for help, but it doesn't come?
Well there's insufficient evidence a god exists in the first place, so what you're describing is exactly what we'd expect (falsehoods can provide hope, but not help). Know that the vast majority of problems you'll face in your life you _will_ overcome (all but the very last problem that finally ends you) or at least learn something from, so you'll emerge stronger having had the experience. (And that's how religion tries to exploit people: because for the majority of problems you'll eventually find a path that's right for you -- with or without a god -- but if you believe strongly in a god you'll wrongly attribute that to a god's involvement when it's simply how life works.)
You pray for peace. Because Jesus gives us peace that passes understanding, and He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I don't like pain, but I can walk through it knowing God will use it somewhere, somehow.
The problem of evil is indeed a serious challenge to theism, however, as John lennox makes clear, it is, in many ways, a greater problem for atheism. The question points to morality and is not why such and such is evil but why is it evil? Without recourse to supernatural answer, athesim needs to be able to provide a mdoel for morality that does not reduce to fallacious appeals to force or number. Nothing is true simply because of how many people believe it. Also, to the atheist who believes it is up to the individual, it is worth noting that even the value of 1 is a number and so basing a moral code in that way is logically invalid.
Sitting here trying to prepare myself everyday for a phone call that my sick twenty five year old Daughter is gone; my only comfort right now is the cross. My saviors resurrection ensures me that no matter what happens, ill will see her again in paradise. GOD bless you Dr. Lennox. Please pray for my Daughter.
I am speechless to say anything meaningful. All I know is that I will see you both in Heaven one day with the Lord.
GOD Bless you
Must be a terrible road to walk when a parent lost a child.. I can only hug you and give words of encouragement.
'This is the word of the Lord: we who are alive in Him and remain on earth when the Lord appears will by no means have an advantage over those who have already died, for both will rise together. For the Lord Himself will appear with the declaration of victory, the shout of an archangel, and the trumpet blast of God. He will descend from the heavenly realm and command those who are dead in Christ to rise first. Then we who are alive will join them, transported together in clouds to have an encounter with the Lord in the air, and we will be forever joined with the Lord. So encourage one another with these truths'.
1Thes 4:13-18
@@ollenjeffries2535 Our son has CF so we have worried about him all his life. All I know is that my Redeemer lives.
Praying for yourself and your daughter
I can listen to John Lennox talk all daylong. What a treasure.
Don’t shove it too far
Lennox is way off. In my book Homoexternicus I mention that no one on planet earth knows what god is and that includes Lennox. I would debate him on this point any day but he will avoid me.
wake up.
100% agree! John Lennox is a beautiful man!!! I Love him too!
I prefer to listen Doug Batchelor and Amazing Facts
Honestly, this guy is one of the few apologists who I believe is truly saved.. With many others you see pride, absent from love for Christ. You see arguments, yet no thought or heart for Christ. He points to Christ, and not his opinion or argument. I usually don't like apologists, because of the pride you see coming from them, the way they look down on people who's eyes have not been opened, yet with him you can see he understands that it is only by grace that his eyes have been opened. I also loved how he didn't say that he believes in Christ because of great reasoning, arguments or scholastic evidences but because of the actual human evidence; the power of change that salvation brings. As Paul said, I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God unto salvation... it truly is powerful and not some dead believe that leaves you unchanged.
Like who? Because I'd love to evaluate them myself. Thanks.
Kristian - Yes, but only IF we submit to it.
I've been a believer for just over 20 years and I've struggled. But I've seen greater joy in tough times than in good times. Being in the will of God is where we find contentment when the world gives us disease and death.
@@ultimatebugsRavi Zacharias, and all them guys from Apologia Studios (all calvinists) who pride themselves so much on their "knowledge" and eloquence
I wouldn't be quite so dismissive of apologists in general, but you do touch on a truth. Winning the argument against atheism is important in the sense that we have aeons of misinformation to correct. The culture has been at war against Christ for hundreds of years and we can't abandon our children to be at the mercies of these ravenous wolves that we call religious skeptics.
That said, if what motivates the apologist is simply the desire to win the argument or make a name for himself, he's doing it for the wrong reason and it may turn out not to be helpful for his own spiritual well-being.
"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" -- Matthew 7:21-23
We have to be on His side, not on ours.
@@leedise2383m
>I can listen to John Lennox talk all daylong.
Me too...I was so privileged to attend the Cambridge Apologetics Conference in 2023 and this year also
and the experience has stayed with me every day.. a C.S Lewis for our age...
warmest regards,
Karen
This is the video that changed my mind completely I am catholic but I had questions and I was skeptic, Mr John Lenox you are a truly man of God for doing what you do, God bless you Sir, I have now restablished my faith ! God it’s incredible, he revealed to me ! I was in complete tears feeling something inexplicable ❤ it was God
@MarisaHoare I want to scream it to the world ! I’ve never felt this peace before, the way I’m conducting my life now it’s completely different, for the first time in my life I can say I am happy to be alive 🥺, I was too depressed and I was smoking marihuana to relieve the pain of living in this materialistic world..
@@Netomp51 Glad to hear you are seeking after God again.. :)
Catholozism is different to the Bible though, just saying... It is actually anti biblical the teachings of the catholic church.
@@e.n.6079 do you have any arguments for that ? I would be Glad to refute that statement.
@@e.n.6079 maybe you didnt know this and thats fine but Catholics were the oned who decided which books are in the Bible today, so saying catholicism is antibiblical implies ignorance
Why? If Christianity is true, it gives meaning to suffering and hope for redemption. If not, other systems of thought or philosophies need to be explored to address fundamental existential questions. The argument largely hinges on accepting Christianity as true. For some, basing happiness or consolation on a hypothesis can seem fragile. For those who adhere to Christianity, faith in its doctrines and promises can provide a framework of meaning and comfort. However, for others, this faith might be seen as an uncertain hypothesis rather than an established truth.
What a a man of GOD Dr. Lennox is- I am so honored to find his teachings and his love. God bless you John!!!!
"Stripping away the irrational, the illogical and the impossible, I am left with atheism. I can live with that".
-Mark Twain-
How I love this man! An incredible mind and a beautiful heart. Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us, Prof Lennox ❤🇿🇦
This god, John believes in, is an all-loving, all-knowing one "IS IT"?
THAT GOD CAN NOT EXIST, but if one does exist, then it is clearly a psychopathic one!
you know, allows such a world where 15,000 innocent children die every day, yet we are told
it's a loving god?? BS!
Every time I listen to him I say the same thing.
His mind is clouded by religious beliefs. No one on planet Earth knows what god is.
I had the high honor of sharing a week long conference with Dr. John. Each of us spoke twice per day. I felt so utterly small; but he was so very gracious, kind, and encouraging. His passion is as prodigious as is his vast intellect. He’s genuinely humble and kind. A treasure to the church.
God has given us a way out startining in John the 3rd chapter and then from those Apostles that survived Christ in Acts 2:38. No one should claim to be a Christian and not have God in them. He even gives us a sign when He comes as He did all those that received Him by speaking in an unknown tongue through our own mouth.
John Lennox has been gifted by God with authentic persuasiveness. May God bless him and his family in his autumnal years.
Praise the Lord for John Lennox
"Faith is a malignancy that no system can tolerate with impunity ; and the man who succumbs to it , will call on it in precisely those issues where he needs his reason the most."
-Nathaniel Branden-
Just brilliant! Oh to be as eloquent and knowledgeable as John Lennox. What a gift God has given him. Christ centred and so powerful.
Thank you for sharing
That is sarcasm?
If made-up superstitious religious nonsense can fool the educated Dr. John Lennox, imagine what it could do to not-so-educated ordinary folks.
Read read read and you will gain knowledge. Have faith and God will give eloquently speeches... remember Moses complained to God about his speech...but was His brother the Lecturer chose from his golden voice
The people I see struggling the hardest with these questions are the ones who have never heard what True Christianity says, but they've listened to what this denomination or that denomination says ABOUT what the Bible says. That's like hearing an ignorant neighbor talking about another neighbor and buying into it, instead of going and meeting that neighbor for yourself, and forming your own opinion. Start with the book of John. (The Bible is not chronologic to be read as a novel.)
It's YOUR soul at stake, don't let anyone else have the final Word, but God!
I knew Jesus Christ in my suffering. Not in church, not in family, not in friends, not in school, not while I was peaceful, not while I was happy, but during the darkest struggles of my life. There He was, and the cross. Only then I realized, how in my suffering, compared to Jesus Christ on the cross, Im way too comfortable.
What an amazing testimony. So many Christians, including myself, falter in the face of real adversity. You make me want to do better. Many God bless you.
Thank you.
Thank you God for men like John Lennox, relatable and understandable explanations to difficult questions for believers and non believers alike. I pray that you will continue to raise up more men like John Lennox.
"there is no rational justification for morality without God; and there is no rational justification for science without God"🙏
*"there is no rationale justification for morality without God; and there is no rationale justification for science without God"*
Nonsense, and *very common* nonsense. Morality is a human project. It evolved as we evolved, and does not require some external judge. Science is a method of investigation *humans* developed. How terribly sad that religions teach otherwise, in direct contradiction to what we observe.
Furthermore, any thinking person should consider the following: even in the unlikely event that a "god" existed, on what grounds should anyone feel obligated to it (assuming we had a way to know what it wanted)? What if we disagreed with it?
I'm sure you've been indoctrinated, and the sooner you learn to think critically, the sooner you will abandon your ancient superstition.
BS
@@vgrof2315 lol .. really!? Then why are you here listening to this video? The truth is that you have an itch to scratch and your inner most being is unsettled and craves connection to it's Maker. Jesus Christ Loves you sir! And that will never change... If only your heart would🙏
@@chikkipop morality has everything to do with God... if there is no God then there is no moral code, beacuse then by what standard do you live, who's standard?
Science? Look around and observe as you say! Everything you see and touch is the made from miraculous hands of God. Intelligent design - requires an intellectual maker! Have you driven your car lately? Did design and purpose come together in order to build that machine? Or did evolution suddenly put it together? Your eyeball for example is a marvel of design no lens has ever come close to its replication.
Knowing God? If you listened to John Lennox video you would understand that God incarnate is Jesus Christ. He Loves Sir...and that will not change, if only your heart would 🙏
@@SheepDog1974 The "itch to scratch" is the desire to speak out about our fellow humans and their remarkably naïve belief in ancient superstition. YOU don't get to decide anything about our "inner most being," especially given your own blindness to the *indoctrination* that led to your magical beliefs.
John Lenox is one of the only insanely brilliant people who can make the complex so understandable!!
Not only, there are better than him 😉
that christianity is a religion just like what they say other religions?
James 1:27
27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
He’s right. I’m one of those addicts that discovered Christ who transformed me and rescued me from the domain of darkness!
What a remarkably gifted and persuasive speaker John Lennox is. I love the way this man explains things. Unlike many atheists and Christians who heatedly debate contentious issues around the existence of God Lennox does so respectfully with clear logical well thought out arguments and with a touch of warmth.
the man with communication major, love the way his vocabulary paints understanding.
John Lennox, excellent explanations all the time, genius man of God😇🙌♥️👌
I think most of his logic here is pretty poor, to be honest.
Morality does have a rational basis - it's what happens when organisms like humans can recognise that the pain certain things cause in them will cause similar pain in others. It's about our brain-state, our emotions, our experiences and logic. To expect morality to be baked into the universe, even to inanimate objects a thousand light-years away, or to be "above" humanity, is silly. Morality is a human social concept. It's real, it's important, and it's a rational part of human life.
The idea that the "atheist way" has problems is just silly. Atheism is just non-belief in theology. It doesn't have a specific way of dealing with suffering; there are atheist Buddhists, there are atheist drug addicts, there are atheist counsellors. It's like saying not-stamp-collecting is a bad hobby since it doesn't pass the time. Just illogical nonsense, I think.
The Good God/Suffering problem does have a simple answer - there isn't a God.
Amen! Saved January 6th, 1972. Kept by the power of God.
Jesus was in the fiery furnace with the 3 in Daniel. He is with us through all our victories and troubles of we will just turn to seek Him.
He is such an unbelievably intellectual apologist. God bless him.
God gave us Free Will. A dangerous thing to do. But we have this great power.
Wow! What an apt submission! And no doubts, it is well articulated too. Refreshingly liberating! In summary, it answers to a very large extent the questions bothering our minds on the authenticity of Christianity. Well said Sir!
I am 93 y/o and am so pleased to hear such a highly respected Scientist to expound the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a world of all sorts and ages as even great Evangelists and Preachers of today have missed b/c Dr. Lennox has emphasized the evidence aka the TRUTH.
Amen John Lennox, you put it in a nutshell when you said "it has to do with Christ..." in that short and simple sentence lies the answer to all things. God bless you, keep up your wonderful work.
Superbly engaging and illuminating ...he has a gift and its wonderful to him using it to encourage others
It's my prayer that God will keep this man much longer in Christ Jesus name 🙏
Love Lennox! Great man of God.
Wonderful!! Such wisdom. Praise GOD!!
Just wonderful!!
Love this man, a man from my wee part of the world Northern Ireland, truly a Godly man.
" The modern Mephistopheles is the soft-toned preacher in his pulpit - the editorial sophist in his net- work of lies, - the political crocodile on his “planks” and his platforms.”
-Arthur Desmond-1890
John Lennox gives me goosebumps when i listen to him. This man gives much hope with his viewpoints.🙏I pray to Jesus for wisdom like his.
Suffering is like the rain, it falls on the just and unjust. God could minutely control it where it only falls on the unjust. But then the liberty He grants to humanity, would be sorely curtailed. We are free to err, but also free to win. Still in this journey called life we often make mistakes, often are in the wrong place, or just have a scale that must be balanced. And only God knows ALL the answers. This I believe, without God I would be LOST. Thankfully, I have Christ who leads me. Thank You Lord. Godspeed pilgrims.
I don't miss that John Lennox position of Dr., Math Prof. at Oxford and mainly as Christian and his message that he is not "looked down on" by his equals to be, unusually, so well-versed with proof and facts. His respect provides him with listening by them ! I hope they respond.
I love to hear this man speak!
Indeed God took suffering upon himself and made it very close to us and very real.
Also, suffering is our fault. We disobeyed God and this all suffering and all death are due to our actions.
What do you mean we disobeyed god?
At 5:54, we have a passage that addresses that: "For WE DO NOT HAVE A HIGH PRIEST WHO IS UNABLE TO SYMPATHIZE WITH OUR WEAKNESSES, BUT ONE WHO IN EVERY RESPECT HAS BEEN TEMPTED AS WE ARE, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."-Hebrews 4:15-16.
I love John Lennox. Such a great teacher.
No, he is a persuasive indoctrinator.
Thank you !
This is how alcoholics overcome alcoholism. By trusting in a higher power. God. The only catch is you've got to pass it on to someone else. Helping others stay sober helps yourself stay sober. Once the ball begins rolling, your whole life is transformed from the inside out. By gods grace.
The reason they wonder about suffering is because they want what they want and they want it now, instead of accepting God's Truth. Jesus said, "daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me but for yourselves and your children". He warned us of evil things coming down the road, but people want God to just fix everything now. He can fix everything now, but that would mean destroying everything now.
YES GOD GIVES YOU THE ANSWER
When I accepted Christ into my life something happened within myself. Living by the 2 most important commandments of the Law of Moses that Christ emphasized is not easy. I have failed many times. Once I released the notion that God was not a Santa Claus or a genie in a bottle entity that provided my heart's desires I was able to experience God.
Jesus isn’t the answer. He didn’t come to speak about himself. Jesus denies being God in John 17:3
@@theartzscientist8012 This is what happens when you take a single verse out of context. When we read the entire chapter and indeed book, then we see that John 17:3 is not a denial of divinity, but an affirmation of the persons of the Trinity, which is why both Jesus and the Father share in His Glory. (God does not share His glory with anyone, except Himself). Both Hebrews 1:3 and John 14:8 affirms that Jesus and the Father are One in being. Also Jesus did claim to be the answer in John 14:6 "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
@@judethree2747 John 17:3 is Jesus denial of being the only true God. You fail.
@@theartzscientist8012 The only failure here is your failure to read the rest of the passage, although I suspect that you are willfully ignoring it because it refutes your claim.
@@judethree2747Jesus is clear who the only true God is in John 17:3. We both know that it isn’t himself. Jesus didn’t come to speak of himself.
Doctor John Lennox Is An International Treasure 🪙🎉🎉🎉🎉‼️ Blessings On You Sir And Your Family Too In Yeshua Jesus Christ's Precious Saviour's Name Shalom And Amen!✝️✝️🛐🛐😇🌟🤗🙏🙏🙏🇨🇦🇮🇱♾️🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🗽🦅❤❤❤‼️
Amen
Amen from Cape Town South Africa SDA ❤
Amen.
Amen! Jesus changed my life! I am a new creation! Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus for this lovely brother John Lennox. 🎉❤ It's all Christ! Our lovely Messiah YESHUA!
Atheists are fond of pointing out various shortcomings in the Bible, which, if one is minded to think that the Bible is inerrant, those shortcomings become significant as they demonstrate the opposite. But I have yet to see an atheist video on the shortcomings of Jesus' teachings. They all dodge the central questions of the Water of Life (the Spirit of Truth) and the Bread of Life (his outstanding teachings), and whether or not it is rational to become more perfect.
And as my good friend who is also a professional chemist and theologian would say.
Today's questions about the Bible are beyind anything they ever thought would even be conceived.
@NSOcarth None of that makes sense. Christ taught rational faith not blind faith. He also spoke in parables.
@@NSOcarth That's irrelevant.
Baptised babies are still pure of faith in Christian/Jewish law.
Jesus himself stated that children are pure and free of sin.
I don't know for how long John Lennox will be on this earth, but I am so grateful to Almighty God that such videos are available to help many more people, even after he has been taken home. God bless you, sir. You are an inspiration to many.
If you had never tasted the love of God, you wouldn't know. But that's not His fault, He stands at the door and knocks. Not just for some, but for all of humanity. He knocks and asks you to allow Him in. Some say He didn't knock but the Bible says He is not far from us all. When people come to Jesus they often weep because they feel Him and they feel the guilt and shame being lifted away. So, there are people who won't come but they also try to prevent others from coming. That's exactly what the Bible says they will do because they don't want to give up their evil deeds. A stoney heart against God is evil whether we realize it or not. Sin has caused the evil. Come, and let Jesus show you the way to peace.
Looks like you are quoting Revelation 3:20, Jesus in John's revelation to the church at Laodicea. He's talking to a church that is 'lukewarm' that has ignored Christ and his santification. It is not addressed to unbelievers. The call to unbelievers is to...believe and repent.
🤣
@@dagwould It's addressed to the angel of church at Laodicea which quite possibly had many "unbelievers". Every church has both wheat and tares, sheep and goats. Commenting on this passage, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown says the following: "this is a further manifestation of His loving desire for the sinner’s salvation. He who is Himself “the Door,” and who bids us “knock” that it may be “opened unto” us, is first Himself to knock at the door of our hearts. If He did not knock first, we should never come to knock at His door. Compare Son 5:4-6, which is plainly alluded to here; " It would not be necessary for Jesus to knock if the door had already been opened. Some think the "angel" is a pastor. That's just a guess, but an angel is a messenger so the message was clearly sent that some among them had not repented. Sad to say that there are so many churches today filled with people who have never repented.
Amen!!!!!!!!!!
Love love HIM ❤
Why did no one write anything about Matthew 27 51 to 53? Think about it. It should be the greatest event in world history
There are some who wrote about it but very few indeed... Probably it is hard for them to understand it because it seems not related to the common gospel being preached by the evangelists...
@@reynaldodavid2913Jo where? Name one who wrote about it?
@@Truth-Be-Told-USA, Sorry, I don't have an excellent memory, but I have read it somewhere sometime, and I concluded that if someone write it, then there might be some others who write it also among these multi millions of Christians, if I have not read it, will I know it? Did you survey the multi millions of Christians that you concluded that none write about it? Plsase use your brain sometimes if you have time...
@@reynaldodavid2913Jo you need to provide the evidence not me. You believe that event actually happened and yet you have zero evidence. I use my brain and consider evidence before deciding on reality of events
@@Truth-Be-Told-USAthe event actually happening was indeed recorded by non Christian Roman and Jewish historians. I will not be able to tell you all of the overwhelming evidence for that event in a RUclips comment section, but the tiniest research from you will see many answers. I recommend looking into lee strobel and what he discovered
What a legend ❤
"The proof of the pudding is in the eating"☺️ Amen!
And what a delicious pudding it is 😋
And the pudding of Christ is vile to me.
and big Johnny looks like he's eaten a few
@@williamoarlock8634There's a place void of His goodness. 🔥
@@GodSoLoved.Yeshua a fictional place.
God sent as we all are. Thank you for your time and effort John to find the space to say your peace. 🙏 God bless in Jesus name.
After 10 years teaching apologetics at my church, I became agnostic last year. As an apologist, I always subconsciously grouped the problem of evil and the problem of needless suffering together, as John does here. There are fine enough answers to the problem of evil, but not to the problem of needless suffering.
We clearly don't live in a world with the most amount of suffering possible, things could be worse if there were an evil God. There is also clearly more needless suffering than necessary (caused from nature and circumstance, not evil people), far more than we should expect if there were a good God. Neither an evil God, nor a good God explain the needless, non-evil suffering in this world.
Non-belief doesn't claim to "solve" suffering. I don't know why apologists insists it tries and fails to.
If non-belief is the response to suffering, then it follows that the non-believer now thinks they have solved the problem in some way. Otherwise, why else would they change their opinion?
Genesis explains why there is death and suffering. The ultimate expression of that was God on a cross. So you want to believe in the God that is or one made from your own understanding?
Ten years teaching Apologetics and you forgot what happened in the garden?
@@andrevisser7542 I agree it did not add up. It is the internet after all so we never really know who people are or what they are pretending to be. My guess is an atheist masquerading as a Christian masquerading as an agnostic...complicated I know.
John is well meaning but he doesn’t answer a single proposed issue with any tangible answer. No one in the comments even recognize this because they allow him to use Christian generalizations as blanket answers. Redirection everytime.
He nailed it spot on. Too many times the world is taught an aversion to true Christianity, and John Lennox got it exactly. I am not afraid of the Gospel and Word of our Lord Jesus Christ, because our Lord makes the way where therr is no other way and point of being. Listen to this. What a testament to what it really means. Mr. John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford.
Suffering has nothing to do with the majority of atheistic conversions. It’s merely the lack of belief in the unbelievable
This. Why should we put such heavy stock in something that cannot be measured nor observed in a consistent manner? It's all just emotion and no fact.
@@CyreniTheMage Everybody believes something. The natural sciences cannot answer the question whether matter and energy is all there is or not. Whoever wants to believe that dust + water became alive by itself and that a human is just a bunch of chemicals, fine with me. But it's not science! The exciting question is: what is the origin of the universe, life, intelligence and love? It's interesting that some people even believe that their intelligence is the product of non-intelligent particles... Your free will alone shows: the self that is looking through your marvellous eyes cannot be reduced to physics and chemistry. "This conclusion strongly reinforces our belief in the human soul and in its miraculous origin in a divine creation." John Eccles, neuroscientist and Nobel laureate
You are not an accident but a masterpiece. And loved, more than you can imagine 💕
They believe that some day we will be able to explain how the first cell found the 1 in almost 1 trillion possible combinations of carbohydrates that happened to be compatible with that first cell in quantities large enough to sustain it until it could reproduce and make more, and that's just one of millions of extremely improbable variables that had to line up exactly make abiogenisis and unguided evolution a viable explanation for life in the Universe. The belief that someday we'll find as yet undiscovered Natural Laws that will dictate how all those millions of incredibly unlikely events had to happen that way and were not unlikely but inevitable, I find that belief to be unbelievable.
@@CyreniTheMage Simply untrue. It is not all just emotion.
Everyone knows there is a God. The evidence is all around us. In fact, the Creator designed the universe so that His many invisible attributes would be “clearly seen” in the things He made, so that we are “without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
Beautiful.
It's sooo hard to grapple with the problem of pain. The Holy Spirit resides in me yet the questions remain.
There is a condition where one is born and they feel no pain.
Unfortunately, they don’t live long.
@@imaginarycanary9956 Yes, pain is a good thing in this case and many others.
You may read Helen Roseware on that subjekt. Or Pauls letters.
"The fellowship of His suffering?"
@@duncescotus2342 Yes. Phil 3:10: "That I may know him,
and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;"
First off, the "question of suffering" is NOT the hardest question we have to face. But, the question of suffering IS directly related and a result of the actual "hardest question". what is it? i will explain:
In Genesis, when Adam and Eve rebelled against God and ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad, they were not merely eating from a random tree. it had a title. Titles are given to things of importance or significance. That Tree represented God's authority over mankind. In eating, they stated that THEY would decide right and wrong themselves. notice that i said "would". not "could". we were never given that ability to rule one another successfully. our problems of wars, violence, injustice, hunger, disease, death, etc. all prove that we cannot. Adam and Eve's rebellion led, eventually, to mankind's earthwide governments. therefore, the hardest question we have to ask ourselves is, "will i show myself a rebel also and choose to support Satan's system? will i show support by voting, joining the military, getting involved in politics, etc?" OR "will i follow the bible and trust that God will sanctify His name in the future?" that automatically answers your question of why there is suffering in the world.
Name a perceivable difference between the Holy Spirit and your own feelings.
Your own feelings are mostly coming from your thoughts, life experiences and desires and they are altered due to our fallen nature. Holy Spirit pierces and breaks through all of those and you will now it once you experience it. And on top of that, Holy Spirit heals your mind and your heart of any bad thoughts or anything that hinders you from knowing the true God.
your feelings don't claim to be an element of what created the universe, do they?
@@26jori read my comment again until you understand what I just said.
@Ryan Penney, unless you have received the Holy Spirit you will not know the difference..
Sin.
John is a beautiful and eloquent brother in Christ.
Simply put: if we live our lives believing that life ended when our body is dead, then, there is no God. But, the fact that there is life after death is a prove of the love of God to us human. We never ended. We just continue on to the next level. So, whatever pain or disaster that cause us to die becomes irrelevant anymore. Because, there is God who takes us on further into His kingdom where there is no pain or anything like it.
Why do you say such nonsense?
"the fact that there is life after death"
This is a FACT ??!! Where can I find proof of this FACT ??
HA HA HA HA HA
The fact is thousand of people have given their testimonies regarding life after death. If you don't believe it is your problem.
You think about yourselves too high. Millions of people believe in God's existence is not nonsense. In contrary, believing there is no God is pure nonsense.
@@sanjeevgig8918 where can you find proves of your thoughts? Either you say it, you write it. Spiritual experiences of life after death of thousands and even millions of people cannot be ignored. They say what they have experienced, they write what they have experienced. Those are proves so far. There might be more proves when our technology have reached that level.
I would love John Lennox to discuss Christ with Thomas Sowell😉🥰
Just study what this man says
ALWAYS Check everything with the word of God, that's the ultimate test. With that being said, John Lennox is an amazing defender of the faith.
@@Benjamin-fu5ij I don't really understand what you see in him compared to other apologists. Most of what I've ever heard him say in defence of his theistic position boils down to an argument from ignorance. We don't know this, therefore God. This thing is unimaginably unlikely, therefore God. How do you explain X if not God?
If his mediocre defense of superstition is convincing to you, you're easily convinced, probably because you WANT to believe.
Amen!
All self deluded Apologists pretending to know something unknowable...they should check their sources and face reality
What they pretend to know isn't so much unknowable as absurd and highly unlikely.
If you believe God is unknowable you’re still in the dark. It may sound offensive but we are genuinely trying to reach you who don’t know Him. He’s not unreachable, but there is a process to finding him. If you’re unwilling to accept his terms you’ll only come to know Him when it’s too late. That reality is hard to face.
@@coryanderson5210 *"you’ll only come to know Him when it’s too late. That reality is hard to face."*
Too late for what? And what *reality* is hard to face? And who is *"Him"?*
*"It may sound offensive but we are genuinely trying to reach you"* What's offensive is making very strange claims and not having the slightest reason anyone should accept them.
@@coryanderson5210 All gods turm out to be knowable.
@@NSOcarth You're lucky there is no rule about making sense in order to post comments. 🤔
Awesome
Darwin and Freud used the excuse of pain to justify walking away from a Creator. Personally, I think the more educated the person is the more they are just looking for an excuse that way they don't have to obey the Creator's Natural Laws. That's not going to work on judgment day. The smart person knows the Creator cannot be "odepus rex'ed" and should start a plea bargain.
It's not simply that you speak nonsense; it's that you speak nonsense which is *SO COMMON.* This is what *indoctrination* does to people.
John seamlessly moves away from difficult questions changing the subject as he goes. So let's go back to the start and try again. Why does a loving God allow such suffering and tragedy which wasn't man made. If you can't give a straight answer I'm going with Dawkins natural selection, even though it holds no comfort.
@@chikkipop this is Just Lennox Propaganda...
.he's IGNORANT...of the Fact of freemason Influence in the world....
which is the root of MUCH Suffering in ALL areas & sectors of Life......
Colossians 2:8 - Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Jesus
@@messengerministries2253 Where in the world do you come up with this stuff?! 😄
No. Theists refuse to look at how incredibly unlikely it is that a supernatural realm exists. They somehow manage to believe that brain cancer killing millions of children over the history of our species is consistent with a good God.
Very clear the word of God as in Acts 28:27- turn and I would heal them, anyone who doesn't come to God and surrender his life to Jesus Christ , he judge himself already, Why ? As says in Hebrew 4:6-8. To God be the Glory,
On suffering - I agree that God shares all our suffering with us, in addition to experiencing it on the cross. But the question "why does God permit suffering" starts with a faulty premise. It assumes we are incapable of preventing suffering ourselves. Mentally and logistically, we're capable of preventing a lot of suffering, what we're not capable of, is getting everyone to agree that we're all in this together.
Suffering is the consequence of bad choices... ours, our parents, our leaders, etc. If pain and suffering were not the result of bad choices, we'd have no feedback loop letting us know when we had messed up! We would never, ever learn from any of our mistakes! Is that what any atheist wants?????? And yet, that's the implication of this widespread trope. Mommy saved us from our bad choices as kids, why doesn't God? Uh, 'cause God wants us to grow up? Just like a normal father would do? Hmmm... very interesting...
My mom didn’t bring a rare cancer on herself cause of bad choices
She has zero risk factors for any cancer
Suffering isn’t always from choices
It’s a part of the world god made
@@timSquash do you think the cure for cancer exists?
In debates with religious zealots, who take a strand of belief and weave it into a tapestry of fiction.
Yeah there is very strong evidence for God and for Christ. Paul writes it this way: 2Cor 5:16-19:
"Therefore from now on know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet from now on know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
That is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation."
The New Creation is the evidence. Christ IN me/you the hope of glory!
This is no evidence, let alone what you call it: "very strong evidence for God", These are big words to describe a bunch of baseless claims.
Dear religious people, please, please, for your God's sake and the sake of humanity, please just learn the agreed-upon meaning of words before using them. Please lock up the meaning of a few words like evidence, proof, claim, fact, truth, lie, reality, delusions, living in a bubble, wake up, return to reality because you are hurting yourself first, then people close to you, then your society, your country and the rest of the world. Yes, you are!
You won't believe me, so here is a quote from a great man: "I believe it is an established maxim in morals that he who makes an assertion without knowing whether it is true or false, is guilty of falsehood; and the accidental truth of the assertion, does not justify or excuse him." -Abraham Lincoln
@@olio9276 This is strong evidence.
FX. Maximilian Kolbe in Auschwitz.
Paul Schneider in Buchenwald/Weimar.
But a man imprisoned in a materialistic worldview cannot understand spiritual things.
Luke 24:9 vs 1st Corinthians 15:5. Paul goofed
@@Truth-Be-Told-USA Why x vs y?
The Gospel is given to us by Paul.
Jesus speakes in Luke 24 only to Jews, not to Gentiles.
@@bernhardbauer5301 11 vs 12 a mistake obviously as Judas hung himself in the story. Have you read the bible?
John Lennox, an inspirational speaker, of the faith in God 🙏🏾
The hardest question is ‘How can orherwise intelligent people not see that Theism is pure wish fulfilment?’
Or this one: How can someone look at the unbelievable complexity of life and the universe and not see how ridiculous it is to believe it all came from nothing
Good question, so maybe they came to a conclusion that there is more to life than trying to be intelligent. Just maybe... It goes to say that the gospel has little to do with intelligence, and most probably just a will to recognize that we have sinned. So it's up to each one off us to accept the forgiveness or not. For me it took me four years before I wanted to let go of my ego, and I'm glad I did. The inward fight of me thinking I'm better than others is over and can easily let go... Just saying, I hope you can appreciate others to be set free of an inward problem that only seems to be dealth with on the cross.
@@markharris5107 Who says it came from nothing? And if we are positing origins, why is there a God and not nothing?
@@marcdeschrevel1458 I’m sure many people are happier as Theists. I can only ask ‘If the claims are false, would I want to know?’ My own answer is ‘Yes’. Your answer is of course a matter for you.
@@markharris5107 EVERY Xtian claims everything must have had a point of origin or creation except God, who is just magically exempt from that hard requirement.
LOL
Genius. Hear him. Faith is Trust on GODs level. Faith is Jesus. Thanks John.
That's not the hardest question. The hardest question is: How does the chord to my headphones get tangled up worse than a Scotsman's beard just by being in my pocket for ten minutes? 😡
haha... in other words, you're suffering trying to entangle your headphone chords :D
That's a mystery...
@@reynaldodavid2913Jo It's not a mystery. It's the headphone chord Satan that causes it.
What's intresting is that all your nuclear dna deals with trillion of times worse twist interactions. And you're alive only because your cells can figure it out.
@@con_boy Cells don't figure anything out as far as I'm aware. But yes, there are lots and lots and lots of steps involved that process, and I understand if one would consider that interesting.
I would imagine that it would be very difficult to explore all of the avenues that exist unless a human being was able to gather tremendous power first of all to begin with than basically transfer that power in different directions but also knowing how without giving it all away because if someone gathered great power and than they changed direction and than gave away all of that power than it would cause the world to change so fast that it would be nuts.
John Lennox, prime example of a educated fool.
I vote for Richard Dawkins
@@markharris5107 I vote for John Lennox.
Mock it! there's a price
@@markharris5107 Why? He makes far more sense.
@@crown5192 What do you mean?
@The city of the King, Paslms 122:6.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they
will prosper that love you. God bless!!!
One of the hardest questions to answer is : How do you divide the word of truth? KJV 2Tim 2:15.
If you can't, then you do not understand the bible.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤!!!
I would be really interested to know how a discussion with Sam Harris and John Lennox would go.....
Sam Harris would make John Lennox look like an idiot.
John would roll out the same old strawman arguments.
Sam would call him out on it.
John would smile in his best impression of a Teletubby and continue to lie and assert fallacious arguments and declare himself the winner.
human decency doesn’t come from religion, it precedes it.
Death and suffering was not God’s original plan; it was only after man sinned that decay came into the world, and death is a part of that. God is STILL the answer to pain and suffering as well as evil. This is why we pray…. 😎✝️
So God said, “Oops”? He did not know this would happen? Then why was Christ slain “from the disruption of the world”.(Rev. 13:8). That was before Adam and Eve.
Poor planning.
Christianity and Judaism are both testable. I tested them both and came to the conclusion that I am Messiah, Shiloh, Joshua, the Branch.
Quick question for those who think they truly understand these words: what does the word Shiloh have in common with the name Joshua? The answer to this is the reason that Jews expected the Savior Messiah to be named Joshua (yes, that's my name). Shiloh means something like "He for whom it is," as in, the one for whom the World was made. This is the result of a clearly 'Semitic' existential philosophizing, as in Job:
All of this must have some purpose, and so, whoever fulfills that purpose must be the one for whom everything is made (this thinking is similar to some Mesopotamian concepts regarding kingship), and thus, that person is referred to as Shiloh.
Now, in the El Amarna letters (if you don't know, go read), the Canaanites of middle 2nd millenium bce used the word ia-ši to mean "for me." Of course, "Joshua" conquered the Canaanites in the Hebrew myth. The glory of the conquering of Canaan was "for him," and so he was named "for me." The Assyrians used the same word, ia-ši with the same meaning. Hebrew scribes exiled in Assyria (a millennia after the claimed time of Joshua) would have noted this word and used it as a symbolic filler for the true history. The true history is preserved in the El Amarna letters, where Canaanite rulers are writing to the Pharaoh asking for his assistance in defending Canaan from invading 'Apiru, who eventually established themselves in Canaan around that time, taking many cities. The 'Apiru/Habiru/SA.GAZ were a class of "dusty" ('Apiru is cognate to Hebrew epher, meaning "dust") people who were known as murderers and thieves. Their history stretches back to Southern Mesopotamia, from which they eventually migrated to Canaan, exactly as the mythical Abraham. The only people attacking Canaanite cities around the time of "Joshua" were the 'Apiru, Hebrews. This is fairly apparent in the record, so the Hebrew descendants of those marauders rewrote history to paint themselves and their claim to Canaan and all of the Levant in a valid light, by way of this idea that God mandated their conquering of Canaan, because it was FOR JOSHUA. Indeed, it was FOR ME.
John Lennox is just great plain and simple
When we look at what God is growing here, suffering and evil make more sense, don’t they? Isn’t God growing our faith and love? Do suffering and evil help or hinder the development of our faith and love? And doesn’t John answer it beautifully?
Wrong context, bro. People who doesn't have a real connection with God, when they experience evil and deep suffering they will tend to get bitter and deppressed, some even to the point of committing suicide. Only those who are connected in a real way with God and has repeatedly experience His personal love for them filling their hearts, will have the inner strength and wisdom to go through all the tribulations and be victorious. I have seen religious and active church members fall into deep deppression and bitterness when they experienced tragedy in their lives (ex. the death of their most beloved son/daughter).
@@vtino4825 remember the parable of “Wheat and Tares” and “Talents”. We are all together, evildoers and (trying to be) righteous, and we are all given different gifts, and everyone of us are judged by what we have done with our own set of gifts, and are not compared to anyone else, are we?
If in this life only we are most to be pitied.... Stephen John Baptist or Abel....
You can be a person of deep personal Faith but not what anyone would call 'religious'. I have followed the Guidelines of Problacism for many years and consequently I have been given everything I could possibly ever need or want. I also don't suffer from any anxieties, fears or depression. Problacism does not require any prayer, churches, iconoclasm or worship. All it requires is that you lose all your ego and indiscriminately help everyone who is 'sent' to you without any expectation of recognition or reward. Trust in the Universe and be Relentless.
Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father but through me.”
Don’t trust in the universe, trust in the one who created the universe. Do not rely on your good works to get to Heaven. You’re a sinner just like the rest of us. You have one hope, not yourself, but Jesus Christ.
Do not confuse blessings on earth with an indication of your salvation. Let’s not forget that Jesus lived a life with no home, and said that the poor will become rich and the rich will become poor.
When you die, you will face a holy and just God, and he will give you justice based on your crimes. “The wages of sin is death”. He’s paying you death for what you’ve done in sinning against Him. Your only salvation is accepting the imputed righteousness from Christ Jesus.
God can draw straight with crooked lines. He uses secondary causes to move us to the place we were always meant to be - with Him. What is confusing is why the fall happened in the first place. Can't get my head around two people who walked arm and arm with God every day would disobey and turn their back on Him
There is hope when you feel hopeless, but where is the help when you feel helpless? What does one do when you continuously pray to God to show you the way and ask for help, but it doesn't come?
Well there's insufficient evidence a god exists in the first place, so what you're describing is exactly what we'd expect (falsehoods can provide hope, but not help). Know that the vast majority of problems you'll face in your life you _will_ overcome (all but the very last problem that finally ends you) or at least learn something from, so you'll emerge stronger having had the experience. (And that's how religion tries to exploit people: because for the majority of problems you'll eventually find a path that's right for you -- with or without a god -- but if you believe strongly in a god you'll wrongly attribute that to a god's involvement when it's simply how life works.)
You pray for peace. Because Jesus gives us peace that passes understanding, and He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
I don't like pain, but I can walk through it knowing God will use it somewhere, somehow.
Gbu Dr
Wish I know him in person and that he's my mentor...
Oh well...
hallelujah .....
I wish oh how I wish...that all young people in America, in the world, could at least be exposed to the wisdom of John Lennox.
I dont!
Psalm 119.130
The problem of evil is indeed a serious challenge to theism, however, as John lennox makes clear, it is, in many ways, a greater problem for atheism. The question points to morality and is not why such and such is evil but why is it evil? Without recourse to supernatural answer, athesim needs to be able to provide a mdoel for morality that does not reduce to fallacious appeals to force or number. Nothing is true simply because of how many people believe it. Also, to the atheist who believes it is up to the individual, it is worth noting that even the value of 1 is a number and so basing a moral code in that way is logically invalid.