Fishing for Men with Mack

Why do people not believe in God?

Surely atheists have good reasons as to why they don't believe in God! In this episode I briefly look at nine common reasons that atheists use as the reason for their disbelief in God.

The reasons they provide generally fall into three categories: Intellectual Reasons, Volitional Reasons and Emotional Reasons.90% of the time the real reason is "volitional", in other words, people don't want to believe in God because it would mean they need to change their ways.

As I evaluate these nine reasons I will also give some Christian responses to them which might get our thinking juices flowing and help us to make sense of some of the critiques of faith. 

Does Pain have a Purpose?

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if we felt no pain? Break an arm, step in a thorn, lose a loved one or visit the dentist...go through all this and feel no pain. Would life work this way and if not then what is the purpose of pain?

In this episode I share my experience with hunting a wounded animal, an animal in pain. I also wrestle with New Zealand's claim that animals are sentient beings, that they experience pain as we do.

And then I suggest a possible reason why we have pain. Perhaps we have been designed to feel pain so our lives can be preserved. Pain alerts us to attention and teaches us to be careful. But it also pushes us towards the deeper questions of life. Pain might just be a good thing!

Does the Christian God spoil our fun?

Most unbelievers see Christians as "party-poopers". To them Christians are boring and Christianity is just a system of rules that takes away the flavour of life. Well, is this the truth?

In this episode three questions are discussed. Firstly, is there such a thing as a boring Christian, or boring Christianity? Secondly, what does fun look like in the eyes of unbelievers? I other words, what are Christians "missing out" on? And then thirdly, does the Christian God want to spoil our fun?

Here is a sneak peak...Some forms of Christianity are dead boring. "Fun" properly interpreted can only be found in the "use" not "abuse" of God's creation. If you look at what God made and who Jesus was you clearly see God is fun!

Hozier: Worshiping Sex?

In this episode I look at the lyrics of the song that put Hozier on the map. The title of the song is: Take me to Church. In a nutshell the song asks the question: How could anyone choose a rule-making church over the experience of sex?

This show discusses at least four ideas related to the question Hozier asks. Firstly, we must be careful to kill the messenger (church) because we don't like the message. Secondly, God is for sex and not against it, He created it after all. Thirdly, unregulated sex is the world's greatest problem. And fourthly, sex is great and you experience the best of it when you use it in the parameters of God's creation. 

So what if the Earth was flat?

This episode briefly explores the flat earth theory. The aim of the episode is not to debate whether the Earth is flat or not, but to get to the heart of conspiracy theories. At the heart of such theories lies a deep fear for "being overpowered by people".

Conspiracies give too much credit to human beings and takes too much power away from God. The prophet Isaiah warned the people of his day to fear God and Him alone and not to be fearful of the conspiracies of men. 

Additionally, the episode reveals how easy it is to be deceived and how important it is to only trust reliable sources of truth. In a world where information is at our finger tips it is important to carefully select the sources we place our trust in for truth. 

When will the world end, and how many will survive?

For 2000 years people have been obsessed with finding a date on which the world would end. Christians have made prediction upon prediction of when Jesus would return and end it all. Yet we are still here and Jesus is still in heaven!

Just like the 2nd coming of Christ is a fact in the Christian faith, so eternal life is a fact in the mind of a Christian. But who will make it there? Who will be blessed/good/lucky enough to make it? This has been a major question for those in the Christian faith.

This episode seeks to answer two questions: When is Jesus coming back? How many people will make it to heaven? Both questions are answered from a Biblical perspective and not of opinion. Will the answers frustrate you or set you free?

We are going to die...

The best thing we can talk about is also the most uncomfortable thing to talk about. The surest fact of life is death, yet its the least spoken of truth about life. The fact of death should inspire us to live life.

This episode explores the fact that we will all die. Maybe not now, but one day. The best way to deal with this fact is to face it and and ask the question: What will I do until then? 

The wisest king that ever lived jotted down some powerful thoughts 3000 years ago regarding the fact of death. This episode engages with his thoughts and draws from it valuable insight into our perspectives of life. 

If Noah's flood happened, what would it mean to us?

The story of Noah and the flood has been described by many people as a "myth". This show addresses that question briefly by comparing the flood story with the Epic of Gilgamesh and the other 200 flood stories from cultures across the continents of the world. 

Secondly the show deals with the question: Since the flood seems to be a legitimate event in history, why would atheists want to deny it? Well, because 2300 years after it Jesus spoke about it and so did the Apostle Peter. And what they had to say about it sends a shiver down our spines. Is something similar perhaps on its way?

Thirdly, this episode will provide some comfort for those going through a difficult time. Many of us have been placed in challenging times. The story of Noah provides so many positive tips on staying afloat when it feels like you are sinking. 

Did God Send Corona? (Part 2)

Does God cause suffering? If God does allow suffering, why would he? Does God see all people who suffer the same? These are three questions among many others that we have. They deserve an answer, which this podcast seeks to address.

On this show you will hear about the most common source of suffering in this world, an evil force that lurks behind the decisions that people make. You will also hear about a good God who lets stars explode so we can live.With that truth in mind it is quite difficult to understand how a Father could cause suffering without reason. 

And lastly, this podcast corrects the idea that all people are in equal position to God. God is usually where you have left Him. If He is in your life now, He will also be in your suffering. He will not protect you against your will. If you don't want Him in your life in the good times, then don't blame Him for being absent in the bad times. 

Did God Send Corona?

Social Media is loaded with speculation regarding the origin of the Corona Virus. Did it evolve through the eating habits of the Chinese or was it manufactured by them to instigate economical instability? Although this is on many people's minds,  many are rather focused on God's role in this pandemic.

In this podcast I briefly critique the "inconsistent triad" which states "if God is all-powerful then God can stop the virus. And if He is all-loving He will because He dislikes suffering. So if the virus doesn't stop God is not all-loving or He is not all-powerful".

Please join me as I explore in the following two podcasts questions like: Is God all-powerful? Can we understand His ways? What causes suffering? If God allows suffering, why would He? Does God see all people who suffer in the same light?