Ten Objections to Christianity and How to Respond

True.

It's my UNDERSTANDING that the Jews have never really reconciled the Old Testament's two Messiah's. My understanding is that they tend to side step the suffering servant one and sort of ignore it or rationalize it away. Anyone know more about that phenomenon?

He will the next time, come wielding a sword--evidently His spoken Word will be a sword of incredible proportions.

In this issue:
A few weeks ago, we published the astonishing story of a Buddhist monk in Myanmar, who rose from the dead during his own funeral, three days after his death. The report was distributed on cassette. We have now obtained a translation of the report, of which this Friday Fax is a summary.

Myanmar

Buddhist monk raised from the dead

"We first heard of the events from a number of Burmese church leaders, who investigated the reports and have no doubt as to their authenticity. The monk, Athet Pyan Shintaw Paulu, has turned his life around, and suffers and risks much to tell his story. Nobody would undergo such hardship for nothing. He has already led hundreds of monks to Jesus, has been imprisoned, despised by his relatives, friends and colleagues, and been threatened with death if he does not tone down the reports. His current whereabouts are not certain: one Burmese source claims that he is in prison and may have been murdered, another that he is free and preaching." (Asian Minorities Outreach)

Monk's personal account

My name is Athet Pyan Shintaw Paulu I was born in 1958 in Bogale in the Irrawaddy Delta, Southern Myanmar (Burma). When I became 18 years of age, my Buddhist parents sent me as a novice to a monastery. At 19, I became a monk, entering the Mandalay Kyaikasan Kyaing monastery, where I was instructed by probably the most famous Buddhist teacher of the time, U Zadila Kyar Ni Kan Sayadaw, who was killed in a car crash in 1983. I was given a new name when I entered the monastery: U Nata Pannita Ashinthuriya. I tried to deny my own selfish thoughts and desires; even when mosquitoes landed on my arm, I would let them bite me instead of brushing them away.

Doctors give up

I became very ill, and the doctors diagnosed a combination of Malaria and Yellow Fever. After a month in hospital, they told me that they could do no more for me, and discharged me so that I could prepare myself for my death. Back in the monastery, I became ever weaker, and finally lost consciousness. I only discovered that I had died later: my body started to decay and smelled of death, my heart had ceased beating. My body was put through the

Buddhist cleansing rites.

Lake of fire

But my spirit was wide awake I found myself in a powerful storm which blew everything away. Not a single tree, nothing was left standing. I was in an empty plain. After some time, I crossed a river, and saw a terrible lake of fire. I was confused, because Buddhism knows no such thing. I did not know that it was Hell until I met Yama, the King of Hell. His face was that of a lion, his feet like snakes, and he had many horns on his head. When I asked his name, he said 'I am the King of Hell, the Destroyer'. I then saw the saffron-coloured robes of Myanmar's monks in the fire, and upon looking closer, saw U Zadila Kyar Ni Kan Sayadaw's shaven head. 'Why is he in the lake of fire?' I asked. 'He was a very good teacher; his cassette "Are you a human or a dog?" helped thousands of people recognise that they are worth more than a dog.' 'Yes, he was a good teacher,' said Yama, 'but he did not believe in Jesus Christ. That's why he is in Hell.'

Buddha in Hell

I was then shown another man, with long hair bound in a ball on the left side of his head. He also wore a robe, and when I asked who he was, I was told 'Gautama, who you worship (Buddha).' I was distraught. Buddha in Hell, with all of his ethics and moral character?' 'It is not important how good he was. He did not believe in the eternal God, so he is in Hell,' answered the King of Hell. I also saw Aung San, the revolutionary leader. 'He is here because he persecuted and killed Christians, but mainly because he did not believe in Jesus Christ,' I was told. Another man was very tall, wearing armour and carrying a sword and shield. He had a wound on his forehead. He was larger than anyone else I could see, around eight feet tall. The King of Hell said 'That is Goliath, who is in Hell because he mocked the eternal God and his servant David.' I had never heard of either Goliath or David. Another 'King of Hell' approached me and asked 'Are you also going into the lake of fire?'. 'No,' I said, 'I am just here to look.' 'You are right,' the creature said. 'You only came to look. I can't find your name. You'll have to go back to where you came from.'

Two paths

On the way back, I saw two paths, one wide, one narrow. The narrow path, which I followed for about an hour, was soon made of pure gold. I could see my own reflection perfectly! A man calling himself Peter told me 'Now go back to tell the people who worship Buddha and other gods that they will end up in Hell if they do not change. They should believe in Jesus. He then gave me a new name: Athet Pyan Shintaw Paulu (Paul, who returned to life). The next thing I heard was my mother crying. 'Son, why are you leaving us now?!' I realised that I was lying in a coffin. When I moved, my parents cried out 'He's alive!', but the others around them did not believe them. When they saw me, they were frozen with fear, and started shouting 'It's a ghost!'. I noticed that I was sitting in about 3½ cups of an odorous liquid, which must have come from my body as I lay in the coffin. I was told that they were about to cremate me. When a monk dies, his name, age and the number of years of his service as a monk are inscribed in the coffin. I had already been registered as dead, but as you can see, I'm alive!"

Source: Asian Minorities Outreach, P.O. Box 901,

Palestine, TX 75802, U.S.A.; e-mail: monkstory@yahoo.com

internet: www.antioch.com.sg/mission/asianmo/bmonk.html

In this issue:
A few weeks ago, we published the astonishing story of a Buddhist monk in Myanmar, who rose from the dead during his own funeral, three days after his death. The report was distributed on cassette. We have now obtained a translation of the report, of which this Friday Fax is a summary.

Myanmar

Buddhist monk raised from the dead

"We first heard of the events from a number of Burmese church leaders, who investigated the reports and have no doubt as to their authenticity. The monk, Athet Pyan Shintaw Paulu, has turned his life around, and suffers and risks much to tell his story. Nobody would undergo such hardship for nothing. He has already led hundreds of monks to Jesus, has been imprisoned, despised by his relatives, friends and colleagues, and been threatened with death if he does not tone down the reports. His current whereabouts are not certain: one Burmese source claims that he is in prison and may have been murdered, another that he is free and preaching." (Asian Minorities Outreach)

Monk's personal account

My name is Athet Pyan Shintaw Paulu I was born in 1958 in Bogale in the Irrawaddy Delta, Southern Myanmar (Burma). When I became 18 years of age, my Buddhist parents sent me as a novice to a monastery. At 19, I became a monk, entering the Mandalay Kyaikasan Kyaing monastery, where I was instructed by probably the most famous Buddhist teacher of the time, U Zadila Kyar Ni Kan Sayadaw, who was killed in a car crash in 1983. I was given a new name when I entered the monastery: U Nata Pannita Ashinthuriya. I tried to deny my own selfish thoughts and desires; even when mosquitoes landed on my arm, I would let them bite me instead of brushing them away.

Doctors give up

I became very ill, and the doctors diagnosed a combination of Malaria and Yellow Fever. After a month in hospital, they told me that they could do no more for me, and discharged me so that I could prepare myself for my death. Back in the monastery, I became ever weaker, and finally lost consciousness. I only discovered that I had died later: my body started to decay and smelled of death, my heart had ceased beating. My body was put through the

Buddhist cleansing rites.

Lake of fire

But my spirit was wide awake I found myself in a powerful storm which blew everything away. Not a single tree, nothing was left standing. I was in an empty plain. After some time, I crossed a river, and saw a terrible lake of fire. I was confused, because Buddhism knows no such thing. I did not know that it was Hell until I met Yama, the King of Hell. His face was that of a lion, his feet like snakes, and he had many horns on his head. When I asked his name, he said 'I am the King of Hell, the Destroyer'. I then saw the saffron-coloured robes of Myanmar's monks in the fire, and upon looking closer, saw U Zadila Kyar Ni Kan Sayadaw's shaven head. 'Why is he in the lake of fire?' I asked. 'He was a very good teacher; his cassette "Are you a human or a dog?" helped thousands of people recognise that they are worth more than a dog.' 'Yes, he was a good teacher,' said Yama, 'but he did not believe in Jesus Christ. That's why he is in Hell.'

Buddha in Hell

I was then shown another man, with long hair bound in a ball on the left side of his head. He also wore a robe, and when I asked who he was, I was told 'Gautama, who you worship (Buddha).' I was distraught. Buddha in Hell, with all of his ethics and moral character?' 'It is not important how good he was. He did not believe in the eternal God, so he is in Hell,' answered the King of Hell. I also saw Aung San, the revolutionary leader. 'He is here because he persecuted and killed Christians, but mainly because he did not believe in Jesus Christ,' I was told. Another man was very tall, wearing armour and carrying a sword and shield. He had a wound on his forehead. He was larger than anyone else I could see, around eight feet tall. The King of Hell said 'That is Goliath, who is in Hell because he mocked the eternal God and his servant David.' I had never heard of either Goliath or David. Another 'King of Hell' approached me and asked 'Are you also going into the lake of fire?'. 'No,' I said, 'I am just here to look.' 'You are right,' the creature said. 'You only came to look. I can't find your name. You'll have to go back to where you came from.'

Two paths

On the way back, I saw two paths, one wide, one narrow. The narrow path, which I followed for about an hour, was soon made of pure gold. I could see my own reflection perfectly! A man calling himself Peter told me 'Now go back to tell the people who worship Buddha and other gods that they will end up in Hell if they do not change. They should believe in Jesus. He then gave me a new name: Athet Pyan Shintaw Paulu (Paul, who returned to life). The next thing I heard was my mother crying. 'Son, why are you leaving us now?!' I realised that I was lying in a coffin. When I moved, my parents cried out 'He's alive!', but the others around them did not believe them. When they saw me, they were frozen with fear, and started shouting 'It's a ghost!'. I noticed that I was sitting in about 3½ cups of an odorous liquid, which must have come from my body as I lay in the coffin. I was told that they were about to cremate me. When a monk dies, his name, age and the number of years of his service as a monk are inscribed in the coffin. I had already been registered as dead, but as you can see, I'm alive!"

Source: Asian Minorities Outreach, P.O. Box 901,

Palestine, TX 75802, U.S.A.; e-mail: monkstory@yahoo.com

internet: www.antioch.com.sg/mission/asianmo/bmonk.html

In this issue:
A few weeks ago, we published the astonishing story of a Buddhist monk in Myanmar, who rose from the dead during his own funeral, three days after his death. The report was distributed on cassette. We have now obtained a translation of the report, of which this Friday Fax is a summary.

Myanmar

Buddhist monk raised from the dead

"We first heard of the events from a number of Burmese church leaders, who investigated the reports and have no doubt as to their authenticity. The monk, Athet Pyan Shintaw Paulu, has turned his life around, and suffers and risks much to tell his story. Nobody would undergo such hardship for nothing. He has already led hundreds of monks to Jesus, has been imprisoned, despised by his relatives, friends and colleagues, and been threatened with death if he does not tone down the reports. His current whereabouts are not certain: one Burmese source claims that he is in prison and may have been murdered, another that he is free and preaching." (Asian Minorities Outreach)

Monk's personal account

My name is Athet Pyan Shintaw Paulu I was born in 1958 in Bogale in the Irrawaddy Delta, Southern Myanmar (Burma). When I became 18 years of age, my Buddhist parents sent me as a novice to a monastery. At 19, I became a monk, entering the Mandalay Kyaikasan Kyaing monastery, where I was instructed by probably the most famous Buddhist teacher of the time, U Zadila Kyar Ni Kan Sayadaw, who was killed in a car crash in 1983. I was given a new name when I entered the monastery: U Nata Pannita Ashinthuriya. I tried to deny my own selfish thoughts and desires; even when mosquitoes landed on my arm, I would let them bite me instead of brushing them away.

Doctors give up

I became very ill, and the doctors diagnosed a combination of Malaria and Yellow Fever. After a month in hospital, they told me that they could do no more for me, and discharged me so that I could prepare myself for my death. Back in the monastery, I became ever weaker, and finally lost consciousness. I only discovered that I had died later: my body started to decay and smelled of death, my heart had ceased beating. My body was put through the

Buddhist cleansing rites.

Lake of fire

But my spirit was wide awake I found myself in a powerful storm which blew everything away. Not a single tree, nothing was left standing. I was in an empty plain. After some time, I crossed a river, and saw a terrible lake of fire. I was confused, because Buddhism knows no such thing. I did not know that it was Hell until I met Yama, the King of Hell. His face was that of a lion, his feet like snakes, and he had many horns on his head. When I asked his name, he said 'I am the King of Hell, the Destroyer'. I then saw the saffron-coloured robes of Myanmar's monks in the fire, and upon looking closer, saw U Zadila Kyar Ni Kan Sayadaw's shaven head. 'Why is he in the lake of fire?' I asked. 'He was a very good teacher; his cassette "Are you a human or a dog?" helped thousands of people recognise that they are worth more than a dog.' 'Yes, he was a good teacher,' said Yama, 'but he did not believe in Jesus Christ. That's why he is in Hell.'

Buddha in Hell

I was then shown another man, with long hair bound in a ball on the left side of his head. He also wore a robe, and when I asked who he was, I was told 'Gautama, who you worship (Buddha).' I was distraught. Buddha in Hell, with all of his ethics and moral character?' 'It is not important how good he was. He did not believe in the eternal God, so he is in Hell,' answered the King of Hell. I also saw Aung San, the revolutionary leader. 'He is here because he persecuted and killed Christians, but mainly because he did not believe in Jesus Christ,' I was told. Another man was very tall, wearing armour and carrying a sword and shield. He had a wound on his forehead. He was larger than anyone else I could see, around eight feet tall. The King of Hell said 'That is Goliath, who is in Hell because he mocked the eternal God and his servant David.' I had never heard of either Goliath or David. Another 'King of Hell' approached me and asked 'Are you also going into the lake of fire?'. 'No,' I said, 'I am just here to look.' 'You are right,' the creature said. 'You only came to look. I can't find your name. You'll have to go back to where you came from.'

Two paths

On the way back, I saw two paths, one wide, one narrow. The narrow path, which I followed for about an hour, was soon made of pure gold. I could see my own reflection perfectly! A man calling himself Peter told me 'Now go back to tell the people who worship Buddha and other gods that they will end up in Hell if they do not change. They should believe in Jesus. He then gave me a new name: Athet Pyan Shintaw Paulu (Paul, who returned to life). The next thing I heard was my mother crying. 'Son, why are you leaving us now?!' I realised that I was lying in a coffin. When I moved, my parents cried out 'He's alive!', but the others around them did not believe them. When they saw me, they were frozen with fear, and started shouting 'It's a ghost!'. I noticed that I was sitting in about 3½ cups of an odorous liquid, which must have come from my body as I lay in the coffin. I was told that they were about to cremate me. When a monk dies, his name, age and the number of years of his service as a monk are inscribed in the coffin. I had already been registered as dead, but as you can see, I'm alive!"

Source: Asian Minorities Outreach, P.O. Box 901,

Palestine, TX 75802, U.S.A.; e-mail: monkstory@yahoo.com

internet: www.antioch.com.sg/mission/asianmo/bmonk.html

In this issue:
A few weeks ago, we published the astonishing story of a Buddhist monk in Myanmar, who rose from the dead during his own funeral, three days after his death. The report was distributed on cassette. We have now obtained a translation of the report, of which this Friday Fax is a summary.

Myanmar

Buddhist monk raised from the dead

"We first heard of the events from a number of Burmese church leaders, who investigated the reports and have no doubt as to their authenticity. The monk, Athet Pyan Shintaw Paulu, has turned his life around, and suffers and risks much to tell his story. Nobody would undergo such hardship for nothing. He has already led hundreds of monks to Jesus, has been imprisoned, despised by his relatives, friends and colleagues, and been threatened with death if he does not tone down the reports. His current whereabouts are not certain: one Burmese source claims that he is in prison and may have been murdered, another that he is free and preaching." (Asian Minorities Outreach)

Monk's personal account

My name is Athet Pyan Shintaw Paulu I was born in 1958 in Bogale in the Irrawaddy Delta, Southern Myanmar (Burma). When I became 18 years of age, my Buddhist parents sent me as a novice to a monastery. At 19, I became a monk, entering the Mandalay Kyaikasan Kyaing monastery, where I was instructed by probably the most famous Buddhist teacher of the time, U Zadila Kyar Ni Kan Sayadaw, who was killed in a car crash in 1983. I was given a new name when I entered the monastery: U Nata Pannita Ashinthuriya. I tried to deny my own selfish thoughts and desires; even when mosquitoes landed on my arm, I would let them bite me instead of brushing them away.

Doctors give up

I became very ill, and the doctors diagnosed a combination of Malaria and Yellow Fever. After a month in hospital, they told me that they could do no more for me, and discharged me so that I could prepare myself for my death. Back in the monastery, I became ever weaker, and finally lost consciousness. I only discovered that I had died later: my body started to decay and smelled of death, my heart had ceased beating. My body was put through the

Buddhist cleansing rites.

Lake of fire

But my spirit was wide awake I found myself in a powerful storm which blew everything away. Not a single tree, nothing was left standing. I was in an empty plain. After some time, I crossed a river, and saw a terrible lake of fire. I was confused, because Buddhism knows no such thing. I did not know that it was Hell until I met Yama, the King of Hell. His face was that of a lion, his feet like snakes, and he had many horns on his head. When I asked his name, he said 'I am the King of Hell, the Destroyer'. I then saw the saffron-coloured robes of Myanmar's monks in the fire, and upon looking closer, saw U Zadila Kyar Ni Kan Sayadaw's shaven head. 'Why is he in the lake of fire?' I asked. 'He was a very good teacher; his cassette "Are you a human or a dog?" helped thousands of people recognise that they are worth more than a dog.' 'Yes, he was a good teacher,' said Yama, 'but he did not believe in Jesus Christ. That's why he is in Hell.'

Buddha in Hell

I was then shown another man, with long hair bound in a ball on the left side of his head. He also wore a robe, and when I asked who he was, I was told 'Gautama, who you worship (Buddha).' I was distraught. Buddha in Hell, with all of his ethics and moral character?' 'It is not important how good he was. He did not believe in the eternal God, so he is in Hell,' answered the King of Hell. I also saw Aung San, the revolutionary leader. 'He is here because he persecuted and killed Christians, but mainly because he did not believe in Jesus Christ,' I was told. Another man was very tall, wearing armour and carrying a sword and shield. He had a wound on his forehead. He was larger than anyone else I could see, around eight feet tall. The King of Hell said 'That is Goliath, who is in Hell because he mocked the eternal God and his servant David.' I had never heard of either Goliath or David. Another 'King of Hell' approached me and asked 'Are you also going into the lake of fire?'. 'No,' I said, 'I am just here to look.' 'You are right,' the creature said. 'You only came to look. I can't find your name. You'll have to go back to where you came from.'

Two paths

On the way back, I saw two paths, one wide, one narrow. The narrow path, which I followed for about an hour, was soon made of pure gold. I could see my own reflection perfectly! A man calling himself Peter told me 'Now go back to tell the people who worship Buddha and other gods that they will end up in Hell if they do not change. They should believe in Jesus. He then gave me a new name: Athet Pyan Shintaw Paulu (Paul, who returned to life). The next thing I heard was my mother crying. 'Son, why are you leaving us now?!' I realised that I was lying in a coffin. When I moved, my parents cried out 'He's alive!', but the others around them did not believe them. When they saw me, they were frozen with fear, and started shouting 'It's a ghost!'. I noticed that I was sitting in about 3½ cups of an odorous liquid, which must have come from my body as I lay in the coffin. I was told that they were about to cremate me. When a monk dies, his name, age and the number of years of his service as a monk are inscribed in the coffin. I had already been registered as dead, but as you can see, I'm alive!"

Source: Asian Minorities Outreach, P.O. Box 901,

Palestine, TX 75802, U.S.A.; e-mail: monkstory@yahoo.com

internet: www.antioch.com.sg/mission/asianmo/bmonk.html

In partial, perhaps answer to your question . . . I believe God is using this time/space dimension and planet--this bootcamp--IN ADDITION TO REARING rulers to rule and reign with Christ over countless galactic clusters and endless ages . . .

God is using this bootcamp to illustrate to one and all--particularly Creation as a whole . . . that rebellion is not kosher, not crickett; not growthful; not useful; not fitting; . . . and not tolerated.

Perfection will reign and anything less will be isolated, very isolated away from His perfection.

The Noahide Covenant that God made with Noah is often overlooked but is a valid covenant with conditions that if met covers all mankind that has not heard the Gospel. It will be the conditions of this covenant that the heathen will be judged by at the Great White Throne Judgement. Do a Google search on Noahide Covenant.

Ya know God use to talk to people one on one ie Noah,Abraham, Moses but then when he took on the Hebrew people as a nation He required an intermediary, the priesthood and the animal sacrifices for sin. Jesus/Yahshua replaced the intermediary system so that now God can once again speak to man, one on one.
Try it, ask God to show you who Jesus/Yahshua really is and then hang onto your hat cause He will definitely answer. Just be sure you are open to the answer.

5. Being a good person is all that really matters.
Some argue that even if a person's religion is false, what really matters is that she's sincere about being a good person. This notion is based on the mistaken belief that God is pleased by "religion."

Sincerity doesn't determine truth, however. One can be sincerely convinced of the truth—and be sincerely wrong. For example, many evil men such as Hitler were very sincere in their beliefs.

Repulsive and offensive, invoking Hitler in that way, and if I am sure about anything, I know it is a lie, a damnable lie. And the advocate needs a new PR man too; with that one, he would sending any decent human being that I know screaming for the exits.

Off damn spot.

There do seem to be some ~~errors~~ 'difficulties' reconciling the statistics between Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 that are more than just translation ~~errors~~, er .. I mean 'difficulties' .

I've heard that Ezra and Nehemiah both list their total as 42,360. Ezra lists 29,818, 494 of whom are not in Nehemiah. Nehemiah lists 31,089, 1,765 of whom are not in Ezra.
Ezra + Nehemiah's extra = 29,818 + 1,765 = 31,583
Nehemiah + Ezra's extra = 31,089 + 494 = 31,583
Consistent. We're then missing 10,777, which might be not listed or from a tribe other than Benjamin or Judah.

It actually doesn't matter what non-Christians think of Christians. In the end, everyone makes his own choice whether or not to accept Christ.

Do you suggest Christians have missed some meanings or missed some 'typos'? Possibly, the many 'intelligent' critics seeking to disprove Christianity having studied the Bible in depth, over hundreds of years, have missed these 'contradictions' and or failed to make use of them adequately until you realized their merit and now offer them?

In other words, you're telling me I'm wrong because a lot of smart Christians choose to ignore what I said. Double-Piffle.

Why are there so many "typos" in a document that is supposedly of divine origin? How do we know nothing else in there is mistaken?

In other words, you're telling me I'm wrong

No -just ignorant.

When I was about 8 I was first told that all non-Christians were going to hell. That was when I first started doubting what I was learning from my Sunday school teacher.

But if you are a firm believer in the idea that everything the Bible says is true, no one is going to Hell until after Judgement Day.

Hell is a tricky topic to me.

Evidently quite real from so many Scriptures about it and NDE's about it.

Some say C.S. Lewis and . . . another of that era . . . were into ultimate reconciliation.

Is that one of the things unlawful to mention?

All I know is I want to avoid it. Even if it were 'merely' the absence of God--it would be horrid enough.

Even if it were 'merely' the encapsulated horror of sharing an isolated space with one's sins and the sins of other sinners forever . . . it would be unblievably horrid.

Then there's the business of hell's gates not withstanding the Church of Jesus, The Messiah. Gates are defensive.

Anyway--interesting, however God works it out.

I will offer you this as my proof. Look at the lives of Peter, Steven, Paul, and the other disciples, they believed in Christ so much that they were willing to be put to death

I don't think you want to go down that path. Every significant religious leader has had followers who were willing to die for him. In this regard, Jesus is no different from Muhammed.

I will ask you another question would you be willing to die for a lie?

No, but many people have died for a lie in history. Recent examples include Jim Jones' followers and the members of the Heaven's Gate Cult.

Peter was with Jesus from the begining so he surely would have known whether Jesus was a fraud or not, yet he choose to die for what he believed in, that Jesus was indeed the Christ.

That's a false dichotomy. There are more options for Jesus than Messiah or fraud. For example, he could have been a great Jewish moral philosopher whose story grew after his death to the point that his followers attributed godly characteristics to him.

I don't think you want to go down that path. Every significant religious leader has had followers who were willing to die for him. In this regard, Jesus is no different from Muhammed.

I will go down that road. There is a difference between being tortured to death and strapping a bomb to yourself or being involved in a war. Read about the brutalities that were realized on the early Christians and they still chose to stand firm in their faith in Christ. But you chose to believe or not but in the end God will make us all humble ourselves before the savior.

I will go down that road. There is a difference between being tortured to death and strapping a bomb to yourself or being involved in a war.

There are followers of every religious leader in history who have been tortured to death for their beliefs. I'm sure there are Muslims, Jews, Hindus etc. who fall into that category.

Certainly, Jesus was able to inspire many people to follow him, even to the death. However, that does not prove his divinity.

"Why are there so many "typos" in a document that is supposedly of divine origin? How do we know nothing else in there is mistaken?"

These are reasonable questions -- from the viewpoint of an editor of a college science textbook or a philosophical treatise. But both the authorship and subject matter of the Bible, fundamentally distinguishes it from such books. There are many very bright and diligent non-believers who have studied the Bible intensively and yet understand very little of it.

Without a heart that is actively seeking God, it cannot be understood. But with a heart and mind that is open to God, the truth will come through in spite of the "typos," the seeming "contradictions" and all the other textual objections raised by the critics.

God's ways confound man's "wisdom" and His Word is no exception to this. And yet, He is not the author of confusion. Yes, the Bible can and should be studied but not like other books are. To my knowledge, no one understands every passage in scripture, but there are many who would fault God and not themselves for that deficiency.