• The religion of Christian Science is best understood as being a Pseudo-Christian cult. That is, it uses Christian terminology, but it is inconsistent with historic, biblical Christianity.
• Christian Science denies the triune God of the Bible and instead promotes a pantheistic God who is all good and all in all. The trinity of Christian Science consists of three ethical principles- life, truth, and love.
• According to Christian Science Jesus was only human, while Christ was the spiritual ideal of God. Christian Scientists believe that matter is an illusion and so the human Jesus was also an illusion.
• Christian Science denies the personal nature of the Holy Spirit. Instead, it teaches that Christian Science is the Holy Spirit, the unfolding revelation of the mind of God.
• Christian Science teaches that humanity’s basic problem is the error of believing the material world is real. Since all is God and God is only good, the Christ of Christian Science came to free humanity from our false beliefs in concepts like sickness, death, and sin. Jesus showed us how to live in harmony with the Divine.
• The religion of Christian Science is another example of why all teachings that claim to be Divinely inspired must ultimately be weighed against the standard of God’s infallible and unchanging word, the Bible (1 John 4:1-3).

For more information on Christian Science please check out Dr. Carlson’s lecture titled, Christian Science and Unity available in CD or MP3 in our online store.

• Recently the Mormon Church publically admitted for the first time that the founder of their religion, Joseph Smith, had upwards of 40 wives. Theologically this is a devastating admission.
• First, this admission reveals the changing nature of Mormon doctrine. While Mormons officially deny the practice of polygamy today (since Mormon President Woodruff’s revelation of 1890), it is clear that it was once widely condoned and practiced in their Church history. In fact, in Doctrine & Covenants- Section 132 the Mormon god revealed to Joseph Smith that polygamy was to be “a new and everlasting covenant”.
• Second, this admission reveals the changing nature of the Mormon god. It should be no surprise that Mormon doctrine can change when the god of Mormonism is himself a mutable, changeable being. In fact, according to Mormons, father-god was once a mortal man who, through the Law of Eternal Progression, gradually evolved to become a god himself. The mutable god of Mormonism continues to give revelation to the Church today, and as we see in regards to marriage, his revelations can change.
• Third, this admission is yet another demonstration that Mormonism is not true, biblical Christianity. The God of the Bible is unchanging and eternal (Mal. 3:6; Ps. 90:2); and because of God’s unchanging nature, true biblical revelation and doctrine also does not change (Jude 3). For example, God’s position on marriage has remained consistent since the creation of humanity (Gen. 1:26-31; Gen. 2: 18-25; Mt. 19:4-6).
• Mormonism claims to be the true and restored Church of Jesus Christ. However, the changing nature of their god and doctrine prove that Mormonism is inconsistent with historic, biblical Christianity.

For more information on Mormonism, please check out Dr. Carlson’s book, Fast Facts On False Teachings, available in our online store.

• In Ephesians 6:12 God’s word declares that the Christian’s ultimate battle “is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
• Among these spiritual forces of evil the Bible makes clear that there is a chief figure, Satan, who seeks to oppose the work of God and His people. Throughout Scripture this evil being is given a variety of names.
• The name “Satan” is a Hebrew word which means, “the adversary”. This name is also used in biblical Greek meaning, “adversary or opponent” (Matthew 16:21-23).
• Satan has also been known in church history as “Lucifer”, a reference to his pre-fall name as an angel of God. The name Lucifer is not actually recorded in the Bible, but was a Latin Vulgate translation of the Hebrew word, “Helel ben-shahar”, which means, “son of the morning” (Isaiah 14:12).
• Satan is also identified as “Beelzebub”, the prince of demons (Matthew 12:22-32). Beelzebub is the Greek form of the Hebrew word “Baal-Zebub”, which means, “the lord of the flies”. The Israelites used this word as a form of ridicule against the Canaanites’ false god, Baal.
• The term, “the Devil” is another common name for Satan. This term comes from the Greek word “Diabolos”, which means, “adversary, false accuser, or slanderer” (Matthew 4).
• Regardless of the name used, Satan has ultimately been defeated by the cross of Christ (Colossians 2:15). His days are numbered and one day God will rid the Cosmos of Satan for all eternity (Revelation 20:10).

For more information on Satan and all the Bible’s teachings on him, please check out The Apologetics Study Bible for Students, available in our online store.

• In recent days with the spread of Islamic extremism around the world, some have argued that Christianity has its own history of violence and they point to examples like the Crusades as evidence.
• The Crusades, however, which took place roughly 1,000 years ago, were very different from the Islamic extremism we see today and throughout history.
• First, the Crusades began as a reactionary response to Muslim aggression throughout N. Africa and the Middle East. The first 300 years of Islamic history was marked by military conquest and expansion, much of which was directed against Christians and Jews. Were it not for the Crusades, the Western World would not know the freedom and democracy we are blessed with today.
• Second, while historical examples of injustice and atrocities can be found in the Crusades, it’s important to remember that not everything done in the name of Christ or by so-called “Christians” is truly representative of the way of Jesus. When it comes to Islamic extremism however, we find numerous Koranic justifications for killing infidels and we see in the example of Mohammed a lifestyle of warfare and violence directed against his enemies.
• Third, the ultimate truth of Christianity isn’t diminished by examples of injustices carried out during the Crusades. While those are sad chapters in history, the truth of Christianity is based on the historical reality of the person of Jesus Christ and his resurrection from the grave. Jesus and his teachings are the standard by which Christianity should be judged.

For more information on the Crusades, Christianity, and Islam please check out the Apologetics Study Bible for Students, available in our online store.

• In recent days the world has been shocked by the atrocities being carried out by the Islamic extremist group known as ISIS. What is the religious motivation for such barbaric activity?
• The Islamic holy book, the Koran, contains 109 “war verses” advocating the killing of Jews, Christians, and other infidels (See for example: Surah 8:12-13; Surah 9:5-30,123; Surah 47:4). This is significant, as Muslims believe the words of the Koran come directly from Allah.
• During his lifetime, Mohammed, the founder and prophet of Islam, ordered or led 73 attacks against non-Muslim Arabs, Jews, and Christians. The example of their prophet is powerful motivation for the Islamic extremist.
• Islam historically has divided the world into two distinct camps: the dar al harb (house of war) vs. the dar al Islam (house of Islam). Thus, according to Islamic extremists, you are either a Muslim or you are at war with Islam.
• Islam is a religion of works and entrance into the Islamic paradise must be earned. However, because Allah is capricious by nature there is no assurance of salvation in Islam. The only certain way to gain paradise in Islam is to die as a martyr in jihad or “holy war” for Allah (Surah 4:47; Surah 9:89).

For more information on the motivation and goals of Islamic terrorism please check out the documentary DVD, Islam Rising, available in our online store.

• The Baha’i faith was founded in 1863 by a Persian man named Mirza Husayn Ali, also known as the Baha’u’llah (the glory of God).
• The Baha’i faith claims that there have been nine world manifestations of God, including: Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammed. They teach that the Baha’u’llah is the manifestation of God for the present age.
• The Baha’i faith attracts people with its inclusive message of the oneness of the human race, the unity of the world’s religions, and the promotion of global social justice and peace.
• While the Baha’i faith claims to be inclusive and accepting of all religious beliefs, ultimately the Baha’i create a new exclusivism, insisting that the Baha’u’llah is the final and supreme manifestation of God.
• Furthermore, while the Baha’i faith claims that all major religions teach the same essential truths, in reality, mutually exclusive truth claims permeate the world’s religions (ex. Christianity- God is personal vs. Hinduism- God is impersonal).
• The Baha’i faith is ultimately at odds with the biblical worldview, which teaches that Jesus is not simply one of many manifestations of God, but he alone is the eternal God incarnate (John 1:1; Colossians 1:16-17; Colossians 2:9) and the only way of salvation for the world (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

For more information on the various cults and religions of the world, please check out Dr. Carlson’s book, Fast Facts on False Teachings, available in our online store.

• Many people wrestle with the question of the eternal fate of those who’ve never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. For example, some ask, “What about the guy in the jungle who’s never heard the name of Jesus? How could God judge someone who by no fault of their own never had a chance to hear the good news?”
• To answer this question we must be ready to address three central issues: the nature of God, the nature of humanity, and the nature of God’s plan of salvation. To unpack these issues consider the following biblical truths.
• First, the Bible assures us that God will treat all people with perfect fairness, justice, and love (Dt. 32:3; 1 Tim. 2:3-4; 2 Pt. 3:9). God’s heart is for people and he doesn’t want anyone to miss out on a relationship with him. We can be sure that God will judge every person on earth fairly and justly.
• Second, God’s word is clear that the guy in the jungle who’s never heard the name of Jesus is as guilty as Billy Graham (Ecc. 7:20). There are no innocent natives or evangelists. All of humanity is infected by sin and our sin separates us from our holy, Creator-God (Rom. 3:23; Rom. 6:23; Is. 64:6). Thus, all people need salvation.
• Third, God has plainly revealed that his plan of salvation is “one-way” (Jn. 3:16-18, 36; Jn. 14:6; Acts 4:12; Acts 16:31). God hasn’t given us a bunch of options as to how we might be saved. He’s told us clearly that we all need Jesus.
• Fourth, the Bible tells us that even those who’ve never heard the name of Jesus have been given the knowledge of God (Rom. 1:18-20; Ps. 19:1-3; Ecc. 3:11; Rom. 2:15). God has not left himself without a testimony (Acts 14:17). People aren’t condemned for what they don’t know, but for what they do know and have rejected. However, for those who respond to the light of God’s general revelation, we have to trust that more light will be given (Hebrews 11:6).
• Fifth, as Christians we remain under the mandate of the Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20; Rom. 10:13-15). People need Jesus; and God has given us the command to be his ambassadors to the world (2 Cor. 5:20). If we’re concerned about the guy in the jungle who’s never heard about Jesus, the most appropriate question we can ask is, “What am I going to do about it?”

For more helpful answers to common apologetic questions, please check out the book, Apologetics For A New Generation, available in our online store.

• Mormons teach that God, the Father, has a body of flesh and bone. However, the Bible teaches that God is Spirit (John 4:24; Matthew 16:15-17).
• Mormons believe that God evolved from mortal man. However, the Bible says that God has been God from “everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 90:2) and that God is not a man and He does not change (Hosea 11:9; Malachi 3:6). Even the Book of Mormon contradicts official church teaching, saying that God is not a changeable being and is “unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity” (Moroni 8:18).
• Mormons are polytheists, believing in a pantheon of gods. However, the Bible repeatedly denounces the idea of polytheism (for example, see Isaiah chapters 44-46). Also, the Book of Mormon again contradicts official church doctrine on this point, teaching monotheism (Alma 11:22-31).
• Mormons teach that all faithful male Mormons have the ability to become gods themselves, just as God the Father did. However, the Bible says, “Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me” (Isaiah 43:10).

For more information on the beliefs of Mormonism, please check out the documentary DVD titled, The Secret World of Mormonism available in our online store.

• The Enumah Elish is a Mesopotamian story dating to 1800 B.C. It bears many similarities to Genesis chapters 1-10, including an account of the creation of the world, humanity’s offense against the gods, and a great flood that was sent to destroy humanity.
• The Epic of Gilgamesh is a Babylonian story that dates to the 7th century B.C. and is likely based on an earlier text, the Atrahasis Epic, which dates to 1800 B.C. The Gilgamesh Epic is the story of a man named Utnapishtim who survived a great flood with his family and many animals after being warned by the god Ea to build a boat.
• Many critical scholars and skeptics argue that Genesis 1-10 (written around 1400 B.C.) isn’t true history. They say that the similarities found in the early chapters of Genesis to the Enuma Elish and Epic of Gilgamesh demonstrate that the biblical authors borrowed from earlier pagan mythologies.
• The reality though, is that the differences between these pagan mythologies and Genesis 1-10 are far greater than the similarities and they actually support the Bible’s record of history.
• Mythologies tend to exaggerate and they become more distorted and less realistic as they’re passed down throughout history. This is what we see in the Enuma Elish and Epic of Gilgamesh.
• Genesis 1-10 on the other hand presents a simpler, more sober view of the historical details it shares. This makes it unlikely that it was borrowed from these earlier mythologies.
• That the Enuma Elish and Epic of Gilgamesh share similarities with the Bible is simply a demonstration that the creation of the world, the fall of humanity, and the flood of Noah were actual historical events.
• The Bible records the true and accurate history of these events passed down by God’s chosen people, the Israelites. While these pagan accounts simply reflect the distortion of history and accrual of mythology as different cultures shared and interpreted history through their pagan religious beliefs.

For more on the historical validity of the Bible, please check out Dr. Carlson’s lecture, The Bible: Is It the Word of God? available in CD or MP3 in our online store.

• Questioning God in the midst of suffering is a common human reality, but God’s word reminds us of some powerful truths that can encourage and sustain us through difficult times.
• First, God knows all about your circumstances. He is never surprised, never shocked, and never caught off guard. As Psalm 139:16 reminds, “all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
• Second, God cares about the trials you’re experiencing. Psalm 139:17-18 declares, “How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them they would outnumber the grains of sand”. Have you tried counting the grains of sand at the beach lately? God is not indifferent to your suffering. You are on His mind continuously!
• Third, God comforts with His faithful presence and gentle touch. Psalm 139:7-12 assures there is nowhere you can go to flee God’s presence; even in your darkest hour He is there with you. And verse 10 affirms, “your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
• When you find yourself in the midst of the trials of life, remember: God knows, God cares, and God comforts. Trust Him!

For more information on finding hope in the midst of suffering, check out Dr. Carlson’s powerful lecture titled, Health, Wealth, and the Prosperity Gospel available in CD or MP3 in our online store.