Information Related to "Questions and Answers - Jan/Mar 2003"
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Question: Does Noah's ark still exist? If so, where would it be?
Answer: We have no way of knowing if Noah's ark still exists today. The Bible, however, does state that Noah did build a very large vessel many years ago according to God's commands (Genesis 6,7 and 8). The Bible mentions that the ark rested on the "mountains of Ararat." Many believe that those mountains are found today in extreme northeast Turkey. In fact, there is a high peak in that range named "Ararat."
Many expeditions have taken place in those mountains and the glaciers that are there. Many people claim they have pieces of wood from the ark or that they have seen the ark itself. While it is extremely possible that some of these claims are true, to date, there remains doubt about the proof of such a discovery.
There are many Web sites that show the history of expeditions and photographs. Even if the scientific community never accepts proof of such a discovery (or if the wood of the ark has decayed and there is no longer an ark to be discovered), that in no way disproves the biblical account. However, the verified discovery of such a vessel in the high mountains of Ararat would give more indisputable proof of the authenticity of the Bible.
If you would like to learn more about the proof of the Bible as God's inspired Word, read our booklet,
Question: Why has God killed people?
Answer: God is the one who created human life as part of His great plan to show love to us. As Creator, He retains control over His creation, including the right to decide when to end someone's life. In Deuteronomy 32:39 God says He is the only true God and has the right to kill or to make alive.
God has also revealed that His plan includes resurrecting humans--bringing them back to life (something we humans cannot do). So even when God decides to kill a whole nation because of their gross sins and the misery they were bringing on themselves (as He did to allow Israel to inherit the land He had promised to Abraham), that is not the end of those people. He will bring them back to life later to teach them the right way to live.
booklet addresses this issue in the chapter about the Sixth Commandment. "Taking another person's life is not our right to decide. That judgment is reserved for God alone. That is the thrust of this commandment. God does not allow us to choose to willfully, deliberately take another person's life. The Sixth Commandment reminds us that God is the giver of life, and He alone has the authority to take it or grant humans permission to take it."
All of these points support God's right to take human life, including using the Lake of Fire to destroy those who refuse His offer of eternal life. Though it might seem strange at first, even when God kills someone, it can be a demonstration of His love.
For more information on the ramifications and spiritual intent of the commandments, you might want to read our booklet, The Ten Commandments.
Question: Is it wrong and sin to talk to or "on-line date" with someone that is not a United Church of God member? I am really confused about dating people who are not members. I know that we should date people within our church, but I want to know more about this.
Answer: Your specific question asks whether it is wrong to chat or "on-line date" with someone who is not a member of our church. While it is not wrong to "chat" with people via the Internet, such contact with others (particularly people we do not know) is usually not advisable. While we might get advice from a Web site on a particular subject, striking up blind "relationships" on-line can be very risky and ill-advised. There are just some things we cannot know about people and their intentions when all we do is read written text from them.
As for dating someone outside of the United Church of God, you should seek and follow the advice and direction of your parents. Fundamentally, the Church teaches that people should strive to marry in the faith, and as such, their dating (when they are old enough to do so) should ideally be with other people of like-mind, spiritually.
Often, young people will get interested in someone of the opposite sex who does not share their religious beliefs and will claim "we're just friends." Yet, that is usually the first step to a more serious relationship. As such, we feel that the admonition and principle explained by the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:14 applies to this situation: "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?"
Of course, there is much more to the subject of dating that should be considered by a young person. If you'd like to read more about dating, an focused on this important subject.
Question: I have been struggling with my daily prayers to God for most of my life and even more so these last months. I'm not sure how often during the day I should pray and it seems that I keep repeating myself over and over again. Does God get tired of listening to me say the same things? Please advise.
Answer: Thanks for asking such an important question. After all, prayer is an important part of our Christian life because it helps keep us focused and oriented toward God.
As for how often we should pray, Jesus, in instructing us to pray "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11), teaches us that we should be praying every day. And 2 Corinthians 4:16 also confirms this principle, saying the inward man is renewed "day by day." While once a day is the minimum, King David prayed three times a day (Psalm 55:17), as did Daniel (Daniel 6:13).
In considering what to say, Christ's model prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 gives us an outline of things we can pray about. For example, the first part of the prayer says, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name." To begin our prayers, we can address God as our Father, our Creator, who is in heaven. Hallowed means honored and holy. We can tell God that we are honoring Him and that it is our desire to continually honor Him. For each part of this model prayer, we can say these things in our own words and add our own thoughts to them.
Of course, praying for others is good. So is asking God to forgive us for our sins and mistakes. Sometimes we may come to God with a specific issue we want to pray about. At other times, we may wish to use this model prayer as an outline of things to pray about. On other occasions we may wish to turn to the Psalms and read some of them as a basis for our own prayers, interjecting our thoughts along with the words.
As for repetition, don't worry if you ask for some things on a regular basis. While God doesn't want us to use "vain repetitions as the heathen do" (Matthew 6:7), these are worthless repetitions because they are insincerely based on being seen of men rather than genuine, heart-felt concerns. If you are sincere about what you are asking, it isn't a vain repetition--it's a good repetition.
Don't get discouraged if you have a little difficulty in praying. Instead, persevere and keep trying. It will get easier the more often you do it. And be assured, God does appreciate our effort. In Revelation 8:3-4, it describes the prayers of the saints as mingled with incense (a sweet, pleasant smell) as they ascend up to God.
Question: I have a relative who is a homosexual. I don't condone the lifestyle because I know it's not godly. Is it OK to be around this relative?
Answer: Because God says homosexuality is wrong (Leviticus 20:13; 1 Corinthians 6:9), this question is focused on how God would have us treat sinners. People generally think that by showing someone concern or kindness, we are somehow condoning their behavior. But this is not always true.
Let's start with the example of Jesus, the only one who has lived a perfect life as a human. People who asked for His help generally received it, even if they were considered "lesser citizens" such as women, foreigners, tax collectors (publicans) or known sinners. Perhaps you've heard people make the statement that we should "hate the sin but love the sinner." This principle is consistent with Christ's example since He never condoned sin and yet was called "a friend of tax collectors and sinners" (Luke 7:34).
In Jesus' final prayer before being crucified, He asked the Father to watch over His followers. He said He did not ask that they be taken out of the world, but that they be protected from evil (John 17:11-16). Later, Paul told the Church members in Corinth that when he wrote them about not keeping company with sinful members in the hope of encouraging them to change, he was not talking about avoiding sinful people in the world because then they would have to go out of the world (1 Corinthians 5:9-13). He was talking about people practicing sin within the Church.
From these passages we learn that Christians are expected to live in a world that doesn't follow God's instructions and yet not become a part of it by joining in the misconduct. So it's not wrong for you to be around your relative as long as you don't encourage or get involved in that person's wrong behavior (and as long as it is OK with your parents and safe).
Question: I don't want this to sound blasphemous, because I really believe in the Bible, but how do we know that that is the book we are to follow instead of the Torah, Koran or others like that?
Answer: This question is vitally important because we need to be sure of our relationship with God. In fact, the Bible itself teaches us to "prove all things" (1 Thessalonians 5:21, KJV). In order to have confidence in the Bible as God's inspired Word, we suggest the following steps.
1) Begin by proving to yourself that God does exist. If you don't really know that He exists, your thoughts and actions will waver.
2) Once you know for a certainty that God exists, consider what literature He inspired to be preserved for us today. The Bible claims to be the direct words of God. Furthermore, there are many internal proofs that show there is no other book like it. For example, the Bible has accurately predicted history and proven itself scientifically accurate thousands of years prior to the discoveries of science.
3) Begin living by God's words of instruction as found in the Bible. Psalm 111:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever." As you follow God's instructions in your own life, you will grow in understanding and confidence in your decision.
To help you follow these steps, we recommend reading the two free booklets: "Does God Exist?" and "Is the Bible True?".
Question: Is it wrong to use the term "sucks," as in "that sucks"? I'm really confused about this because my teachers and many of my friends use it.
Answer: The origin (etymological source) of this word comes from fellatio—meaning oral sex. Thus, this phrase actually refers to a sexual act. Unfortunately, crude and vulgar language has become common in our society today and many people don't know the background or meanings of the words they use.
When we examine the Bible, we find that God does not want us to use filthy language. Colossians 3:8 says, "But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth." Because of this very clear instruction from God, we recommend people avoid using this term.
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