Have any Christians seen the challenge posted below?

Question

It's being held at www.deism.com:

http://www.deism.com/deistchallengetochristians.html

It's based on Mark 16:17:
"And these signs will accompany those who believe...they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."

Deism.com is offering to provide a terminally ill person for a true Christian believer to heal, and they will happily post the results. If the Bible's true, and you're a true believer, you should be able to heal the sick. The Bible itself says so.

Good link:

http://www.deism.com/deistchallengetochristians.htm

1. I'm aware that these verses were likely added. The quote is from the New Revised Standard Version with quite a bit about the addition in footnotes. I've been aware of it since college days (my major was Religious Studies). If it doesn't belong, then this causes the problem of the Bible being messed with.

2. As for "God doesn't jump through hoops", etc., this is nothing to do with God or proof. True believers have the ability to heal according to the Bible. My next question is, do you honestly believe (even to yourself) that you can walk into a hospital and heal a terminally ill patient?

Answer 1

Quick someone call Benny Hinn and his 'magical' healing hands!

Oh wait, I guess he can only do it when he's planted an actor in the audience.

Never mind.

Answer 2

Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.
"these signs". In the apostolic period, before the New Testament was written and available, the apostles and other early evangelists “went every where preaching the word” (Acts 8:4), “God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His own will” (Hebrews 2:4). This was necessary for a time, since they had neither Christ with them in person any longer nor any written record of His life and teachings. Eventually, as the church became established and the New Testament Scriptures were written and circulated, these miraculous attestations became unnecessary. This passage did not specify a time limit, but neither did it promise that such miracles would continue throughout all subsequent time. The very existence of the church and the inspired writings of the apostles in the New Testament would be sufficient. Jesus had rebuked those who would not believe without signs and wonders (John 4:48; Luke 11:29), and Paul later said that prophecies and tongues and supernatural knowledge would eventually cease (1 Corinthians 13:8-9-10).

Answer 3

Is gentle a wave or a particle? each so often it looks to act like a particle and at different situations it looks to act like a wave. I even have stated a contradiction in physics. Does this propose that there is flaw in physics? No it ability describing gentle as the two a wave and as particle will advance our information of sunshine. thinking exterior the field, the anomaly, that gentle should be the two a wave or a particle is likewise the significant to information contradictions interior the bible. Like smart having a contradiction interior the bible isn't info that this is improper. it must be expressing 2 truths that sarcastically contradict one yet another. The venture for each guy or woman is to think of exterior their preconceived field. the 2d component to make is that 2 witnesses are greater beneficial than one. All witnesses tell lies. consequently with the various witnesses who wrote the bible there are guaranteed to be contradictions as each and each witness does not comprehend the entire fact. sure there is corruption in it because of the fact it become written via corrupt adult males. there is besides the undeniable fact that adequate tips there to parent the reality. The irony is that the place you notice flaws as info of corruption and reason to brush off the bible I see that info of corruption, those comparable flaws, as info that the witnesses have been attempting the final that they could and the bible is consequently a 'actual' checklist of activities. consequently the bible jewelry actual in a manner that a bible with each and all the 'flaws' bumped off does not. think of exterior the field that evil bible has created. this is a delusion as plenty because of the fact the delusion that God wrote the bible with out contradiction.

Answer 4

Mark 16:9-20 are later additions to the text. The original (earliest) manuscripts do not contain these verses. This is not an attempt to dodge the question - it is backed by thorough research by both Christian and non-Christian scholars.

Answer 5

Well, if your friends knew anything abut Biblical textual criticism, you would know that vss. 17-18 were added almost 100 years after the first initial manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark.

The textual apparatus of the UBS 3rd ed. Greek NT gives an [A] rating to the omission of vv. 9-20, indicating that the editors are virtually certain that these verses are a later addition. The absence of these verses from Sinaiticus (4th cen) and Vaticanus (4th cen) is significant, as is their
omission from citations in the writings of Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Eusebuius, and other church fathers. They vocabulary and style of this passage differs from the rest of Mk's gospel, as well. However, Alexandrinus
(5th cen), Ephraemi Rescriptus (5th cen), Bezae Cantabrigiensis (5th-6th century) and others include these verses. If the are a later addition (which is likely the case) they were added by 140 CE, as is indicatated in Tatian (see
M. Hooker, (The Gospel According to St. Mark), pages 388-9).

Answer 6

Does it say "all those" or "all who are sick?"

As it is, "You can heal the sick, you can raise the dead.
You can turn the sky from blue to red.
No matter what they hear, or what they see,
Some people will just never believe." - David Meece

We will not be a circus act for others to further criticize - there is enough of that going on.

Answer 7

Great! your search is over! I was sick, and I was healed.

Okay, now call it off. You found one! The show is over. It's me, I was healed by a Christian. Now I am one too.

I just saved you a lot of time, didn't I?

I'm glad to be of service! Now that you know there was someone healed you can stop now, and become a Christian yourself.

Answer 8

Well, with a few people admitting that these verses were added later, that kind of blows the "infallible word of God" theory doesn't it ?

Answer 9

I'd like to see a documentry on that experiment, seems a reasonable challenge, but as with all it has its flaws.

Answer 10

Good idea. Maybe it will work as well as it did 2000 years ago.

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