Category Archives: Skepticism

The Absurdity of Something Arising Without A Cause

Posted on October 20, 2018 by humblesmith

The king of skeptics, David Hume, taught that we cannot be certain of even common things that happen around us. He claimed that even when one billiard ball hits another, we cannot be sure that the first caused the movement … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Philosophy, Skepticism | 24 Comments

A General Evaluation of Christopher Hitchens

Posted on January 1, 2018 by humblesmith

I recently watched an online video of atheist Christopher Hitchens. He was apparently speaking at a Freedom Fest in 2008. Hitchens was quite influential, and to read the comments to the video, he was much beloved and missed by atheists. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Skepticism | 7 Comments

Hume’s Explanation of Cause and Effect

Posted on April 28, 2017 by humblesmith

In David Hume’s An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding, he includes a section on the connection between cause and effect. He draws examples such as one billiard ball moving and striking another, then the second ball moving. Hume goes to some … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Skepticism | 2 Comments

On the Atheists’ Demand for Evidence

Posted on January 13, 2017 by humblesmith

When asked why they do not believe in God, a common atheist answer is that there is insufficient evidence, or more commonly, there is no evidence at all. In one online conversation I saw recently, one atheist said of God “There is … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Atheism, Skepticism | 6 Comments

Historical Details in Luke & Acts

Posted on December 24, 2016 by humblesmith

In the next post, we will consider the census described in Luke chapter 2. Before we do so, we need to give some space to the overall accuracy of the author’s writings as a whole. Before we can rightly consider … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Skepticism | 4 Comments

Nothing Cannot Cause Any Thing

Posted on July 25, 2016 by humblesmith

If ever there was a time when absolutely nothing existed, there would still be nothing, for nothing cannot cause any thing to exist. All effects must have a cause, as even the king of the skeptics admitted, David Hume. To … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Philosophy, Skepticism | 6 Comments

Does the Bible Speak of a Virgin Birth in Isaiah 7 and Matthew 1?

Posted on March 20, 2016 by humblesmith

In Christianity, the virgin birth of Jesus is an essential doctrine since the sin nature is passed along from father to son. A natural-born person would have sin and thus not be able to save himself, let alone others. Since … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Skepticism, Theology | 3 Comments

Hume on Skepticism

Posted on March 22, 2015 by humblesmith

David Hume (1711 – 1776) was the king of the skeptics. Many, if not most, of the modern skeptical attacks on Christianity are warmed-over versions of what David Hume said more powerfully. Here are a couple of interesting tidbits that … Continue reading →

Posted in Skepticism | 2 Comments

Does God Know His Own Future Decisions?

Posted on August 20, 2014 by humblesmith

This is another in a series of questions, criticisms, and attacks posed by skeptics. Question: How can God know His future decisions? If God is all-knowing, how can He make any decisions at all, or choose one thing over another? … Continue reading →

Posted in Skepticism | 2 Comments

Did Ezekiel Prophesy Correctly About Tyre? (Part 2)

Posted on May 3, 2014 by humblesmith

In the first part, we learned that Ezekiel 26 predicts the fall of the city of Tyre, but this prophecy is actually about 17 separate prophecies. Although we will find out that all of them are true, we learned that … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Skepticism | 1 Comment

Did Ezekiel Prophesy Correctly About Tyre? (Part 1)

Posted on April 30, 2014 by humblesmith

The Old Testament book of Ezekiel has many prophecies, including predicting that the city of Tyre would be destroyed and never be rebuilt. Yet the city exists today with many people having lived there for many years. Some people claim … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Bible, Skepticism, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Skeptics vs. Christians: Let’s Be Reasonable

Posted on April 21, 2014 by humblesmith

A question asked by some philosophers concerns how the soul interacts with the body. The allusion by skeptics is that since we do not know how the soul moves the mind and body, why then it must not be able … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Philosophy, Skepticism | 1 Comment

Can There Be An Infinite Series of Escapes From Kalam?

Posted on March 29, 2014 by humblesmith

One of the demonstrations for the existence of God is the Kalam Cosmological Argument, which claims that the universe had a beginning, and therefore needed a beginner. At its root, it is quite simple, for anything that comes to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Philosophy, Skepticism | 14 Comments

Old Testament Numbers Proven True

Posted on March 17, 2014 by humblesmith

In the Old Testament book of 1 Kings, we find the following: 1 Kings 15:25:  Now Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Bible, Skepticism | Leave a comment

Pseudo Science

Posted on March 9, 2014 by humblesmith

There have been a few recent reports that tell us that some science journal articles were fakes. One was in Nature, one in Science, and it was reported by Fox News. The problems are facilitated by the fact that professors … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Bible, Evolution, Philosophy, Skepticism | Leave a comment

Why Does God Not Stop All Evil?

Posted on February 13, 2014 by humblesmith

One of modern atheists’ and skeptics’ criticisms of God is that He should stop evil. They are fond of quoting horrible circumstance X, and saying that if God existed and was good, He would certainly, at a minimum, stop X. … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Morality, Philosophy, Skepticism | 5 Comments

Can We Prove Jesus’ Historical Miracles?

Posted on February 11, 2014 by humblesmith

I recently encountered a discussion between an atheist and a Christian that went something like this: A: How do you know that Jesus did miracles and created the universe? Using your own reason, and without using the Bible, prove to me he did … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Atheism, Bible, Philosophy, Skepticism | 15 Comments

Is Faith All That is Required For God to Be True?

Posted on February 3, 2014 by humblesmith

This is the latest in a series of Q&A using questions from atheists and skeptics. Question:  I have often heard that faith is all that is necessary to know God. If we accept faith in God and the Bible as … Continue reading →

Posted in Skepticism | Leave a comment

How Do We Explain Animal Death?

Posted on November 21, 2013 by humblesmith

Another in our intermittent series of questions and answers. Question: Genesis 1 says man and all the animals were created as plant-eaters. The Bible also says that death entered the world from Adam’s sin (Romans 5). Christians who believe the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Skepticism | 3 Comments

Faith and Trust

Posted on November 7, 2013 by humblesmith

In trying to help us learn the meaning of faith, John Lennox recently said the following: Christopher Hitchens gives one of the most wonderful examples that I have ever come across: “If one must have faith to believe in something, … Continue reading →

Posted in Skepticism, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Is Matthew’s Use of Jeremiah 31 A Fulfillment of Prophecy?

Posted on October 16, 2013 by humblesmith

In the New Testament, chapter 2 of Matthew describes how Herod, the dictator over Israel, killed children under two years of age in an attempt to destroy a newborn king which he had been told about. In Matthew 2:17-18 says … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Skepticism | 6 Comments

Is God in Time?

Posted on September 19, 2013 by humblesmith

A skeptic has posed the following two logical statements as an attempt to refute God’s atemporality: 1.) God, an atemporal being, created the Universe. 2.) Creation is a temporal processes because X cannot cause Y to come into being unless … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Skepticism | 16 Comments

Beware What You Do In Bear Country: Was God Just in 2 Kings 2?

Posted on February 20, 2013 by humblesmith

Question: In 2 Kings 2:23-24, a group of youths tease Elisha the prophet because he was bald headed. God then sends a pair of she-bears to kill 42 of the children. How could this be a good thing to do? … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Bible, Skepticism, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Conclusions About Historical Accuracy of the Bible

Posted on January 27, 2013 by humblesmith

I have posted several entries that document the accurate historical accounts in the Bible, especially in the book of Acts (see here, and here, and here.) As shown in Colin Hemer’s landmark work, The Book of Acts In The Setting … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Bible, Skepticism | 9 Comments

Why Does God Not Speak To Us Directly?

Posted on January 8, 2013 by humblesmith

Here’s the next in our series of questions from skeptics and critics. If God is really trying to reach people, why would He entrust His message to sinners? If He knows that not everyone will be convinced by the truth … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Bible, Skepticism | 1 Comment

Why Doesn’t God Routinely Do Fantastic Miracles Today?

Posted on December 10, 2012 by humblesmith

Here’s the latest in the series of questions from skeptics and atheists. Question: Why have we not seen God reattach severed heads, restore someone who has been burned alive, or regrow amputated limbs? If God wanted us to know Him, … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Skepticism | 5 Comments

How Can God Have Emotions When He Knows Everything?

Posted on November 24, 2012 by humblesmith

This is the next installment in an occasional series on answering questions from skeptics. How can God have emotions, such as jealousy, anger, and sadness, when He is omniscient? Since emotions are reactionary, how can God react when He already … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Skepticism | Leave a comment

If Jesus Fulfilled Prophecy, Why Did The Jews Reject Him?

Posted on November 9, 2012 by humblesmith

Skeptics have proposed this question, and it is a legitimate one. If Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies so well, it would seem that the Jewish people would have followed Him. There are several reasonable answers to this question. First, … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Bible, Skepticism | 6 Comments

King of the Skeptics

Posted on October 7, 2012 by humblesmith

David Hume (d. 1776) was arguably the greatest skeptic. He certainly is the most well-known and systematic of the historical skeptics, and set the stage for all modern critics of Christianity. Many, if not all, of the skeptical arguments leveled … Continue reading →

Posted in Skepticism | 1 Comment

Can Miracles Happen?

Posted on September 25, 2012 by humblesmith

Modern atheists and skeptics have no better case than that presented by the king of the skeptics, David Hume (d.1776). If we can refute Hume, we have refuted all. Section 10 of Hume’s An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding is arguably the … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Skepticism | 11 Comments