Not too long ago I wrote a blog post about 14 examples of the type of apologetics (defending the faith) that Christians should not use. Due to an enthusiastically sent email I received today, I have a 15th example. And I am not happy about it.
I know how it is. We believe what we profess and we are quick to accept anything and everything that confirms some aspect of our faith. I am the same way. However, what we believe is too important for us to be uncritical, even about those claims that seem to support what we believe.
These pictures below represent supposed archaeological finds of giants in Greece. The person who sent these to me (and lots of other people after being forwarded many times) believes this to be proof of the giants that lived in the days of David (Goliath and his bothers; the Nephilim, etc.). The title of the email was “Nephilim – Giants in Greece.” The last words on the email were these: “And in the final analysis…….. The Bible does tell the truth and with precise accuracy….. No doubt about that!!!!”
I must admit that my critical admonition here is only going one way. I have not checked to see if this is true. I simply know it is not.
The enthusiastic, “No doubt about that” from the sender scares me for many reasons.
1. I am frightened by the lack of critical spirit this represents among Christians who blindly accept any bit of “evidence” that seems to support the faith. This is not the way God wants us to use our minds, even if the uncritical conclusions support his truth. We simply can’t do this folks.
2. I am also afraid of a faith built upon such tabloid evidences. Whether it is the Bible code, the Shroud of Turin, the lost day of Joshua, crying statues of Mary, or Noah’s Ark sightings, these type of things usually don’t last. If your faith is built on them, it won’t last either.
Could it be that we find evidences that confirm our faith? Certainly. We do all the time. It is not the finding of evidences that concerns me, but the uncritical method with which these evidences are evaluated by many well-meaning Christians. I am sure that some Sunday School teacher is going to use these pictures in a PowerPoint presentation this Sunday to show how Christianity is true.
Want to set people up to leave the faith later? This is the first step.
3. Finally, this gives our critics great ammunition. I know that critics will always find their reasons for rejecting our beliefs no matter what, but let’s make sure we do our part to help them reject and criticize for the right reasons. Let them take on our best apologetics, not these side shows.
In short, if you are reading this and your conversion is strongly supported by any tabloid support for Christianity such as this, please, please, please, rethink your faith. I would rather have you not believe having looked at good evidences for Christianity, than to have a believe built upon this type of manipulated sensationalism. More than likely, most (if not all) of these types of things are going to fall apart.
Most Christians are not too critical when it comes to this type of thing. They think that they are supposed to believe it. And I know that this does not only go for Christians. Atheists, Mormons, Muslims, and any other faith-based belief system is going to have those who uncritically use “evidence” that is, in the long run, counter-productive. But I am not talking to them right now. They can use all the pancake apologetics they want. But we (Christians) simply don’t need to. We have enough evidence for our faith to keep up from resorting to such things.
72 replies to "“The Nephilim Have Been Found” or Yet Another Example of Really Bad Apologetics"
I guess when the bible says it in multiple places you have some excuse for that too!
How about I believe without these pictures because the bible(in every translation fomr GReek,Laten, to the 40 english translations says that Giants) says so
God made a perfect earth with the “waters above” and that made the earth twice as dense with oxygen and allowed the reptiles to grow fro 500 years getting dinosaurs…….notice how all dinosaur eggs are small small small just like todays reptiles
another note
Job 40:15 Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. 16 Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly. 17 He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together. 18 His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron. 19 He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him. 20 Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play. 21 He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens.
This animal is the ‘Chief of God’ The biggest bestest thign around and Job stood next to it.
It called the Mokele-mbembe today is still exist just as the bible says.
God says that Christians will have the mind opened to the TRUTH in the bible and in the world!
If God isnt showing you the Truth through thr holy Spirit then theres a problem
Daniel, see comment #47. Again, Michael is not questioning scripture.
What surprises me is how quick you are to judge before looking and researching this for yourself.
this are wonders of God that could be explained be a human mind.. you have to be open to what the eyes cant see.. cause that how God work.. He shows his wonders to those who are willing to trust and believe what to others is crazy and impossible
Critical thinking sounds like a dogmatic line in all of these rebukes. Common if your gonna do that then actually show some proof. A true follower of Jesus will start with the bible accounts of these giants. For one the Giants were all destroyed in the Flood of Noah’s day.
Did they exist? These photos can be faked all they want. Adam was created in the year 4026 and died in 3096. The bible also says that the Nephilim proved to be in the earth around the time of Noah. Noah survived the flood and lived until 2020 BC.
I suppose there could be bones from these giants in the ground some place. What is all the halaballoo about.
…..critical thinking? what about logical thinking. Placing all the facts of history into perspective. How much more complicated is the universe than any of these statements here. I wrote this letter it could never have written itself. How much more complicated is the universe that we live in. What are the odds that all of life is just an accident. Hmmm makes you think.
The trouble with many Christians is their sore need to prove to others that our faith is legit. So they grasp at straws and anything that seems to support what is said in the Bible. In so doing, they are undermining the credibility of the faith, and unwittingly putting up barriers to people who might be prepared to believe except that they are turned off by the lack of respect for the truth exhibited by many Christians. As Christians, we are supposed to be the salt and the light of the world, we are supposed to be repositories of the most important truth mankind will ever know. And yet why are so many of us not even capable of verifying things that can be sensibly verified? Why are we taking things from the internet and re-forwarding as truth without a modicum of critical inspection? This is not helpful at all to defending the faith; it is damaging and showcases Christians as the laughingstocks of the world, which would be really ironic since the motivation is to be the opposite.
Fool said “History is written or rewritten by the victor. Given that the literal victor was a militant Christianity, I wouldn’t expect to see anything but glowing martyrdom stories”. Funny you admit Christianity is the ancient victor when there was a far more militant opposition to it and the attempts to erode it by militant heresies.
“And given that most evangelical Christians seem to have minimal educations (or “DVD Theologies”) and are under the impression that there was some kind of singular Christianity out of the first century that held to a unified and “pure” Christian belief structure, it’s little wonder that you will make wild blanket claims about legendary figures in Church history to bolster your particular views.” Blanket impressions? No, this is what we KNOW from primary textual sources. It is a kind of singular impression NOW that there were many ‘christianities’, that is based on rejecting textual evidence. That IS rewriting history…by LOSERS.
Ben said, “As Christians, we are supposed to be the salt and the light of the world, we are supposed to be repositories of the most important truth mankind will ever know. And yet why are so many of us not even capable of verifying things that can be sensibly verified? ”
-Its a sad fact you mention. Most Christians don’t read enough of EARLY Christian history to know WHY Christianity thrived. They have jettisoned early tradition as evidence and now need the tabloid factoids. When the consensus of the early church writers have spoken, the THINKING has already been done. The post-apostolic church was the repository but churchers are afraid of ancient tradition because all tradition is held suspect. An ante-Nicene battle is being fought with MODERN weapons and it will be doomed if Christians don’t use Irenaeus’ approach.
I for one believe that Nephilim did exist. Why don’t we have any museums that exhibit this kind of evidence??
I believe Mankind will never find the answers in our lifetime. If you truly believe in hell or heaven, then the powers that be will never let you know unless it is time for you to know. Man’s rational mind would not be able to conceive of a power greater than the human mind. It may be impossible to do so given that humans are embued with such radical imaginations. In my own opinion I believe their are angels and demons among us. I have seen proof of them and regardless I am not crazy. If you are lucky to live as long as I have, you may see as well. I say this only in passing and do not wish to offend with my comments.
[…] “THE NEPHILIM HAVE BEEN FOUND” OR YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF REALLY BAD APOLOGETICS […]
[…] “The Nephilim Have Been Found!!” or Yet Another Example of Really Bad Apologetics […]
Greek mythology records that monstrous giants once roamed the Earth, There was a group of talented angels that desired to experience life on Earth. They also wanted to be worshipped as gods by men and to have their own wives and children. They intended to corrupt Adam’s bloodline so that humans would become a mixed race. Their cohabitation with the women of Earth didn’t produce the super race they expected. The offspring that resulted from this celestial cross breeding were quite incredible, and some of their children became mighty men and men of renown. (Genesis 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.) However their many talents and powers proved to be the cause of their downfall. Being superior is all right if you use your abilities for good, but unfortunately they began misusing them.
God warned them that mixing their genes with humans was not a good idea because of the fact that humans were limited beings made of flesh and blood, and would only live for a limited time. If we’re to believe old accounts, it seems that the life span of these amazing creatures was quite short and they aged quickly. They developed strange eating disorders and became insanely violent, wreaking havoc in the earth. The world was given over to demon worship, cannibalism, human sacrifice, robbery, murder, and violence. They finally ended up killing each other in terrible battles. Enoch, a prophet of old, foretold their violent end and punishment for having polluted humanity by teaching them dark arts and other terrible practices.
Noah also tried to persuade them to change. He was afraid that they would kill him, and fled from their lands with his wife and children. Their original plan to produce a super race on earth seemed good to begin with, but it failed because it was not God’s way.
I find these “finds” kind of amusing. I’m a faithful Christian, so these sorts of things don’t faze me. But they are a danger to new Christians, as well as weak Christians. We have Scripture for a reason! Use it, People!
When you have that in your ‘pocket’ the Apologetics can augment your knowledge, and maybe add a bit of strength. But the Scriptures are where the Truth is, not some tabloid silliness!
As i grow in faith i realise that the chasm between what were told and what is actually happening in the world is absolutely,,,Enormous,the renewal of the mind according to the word of God that takes place in us “the saints” is not of this world but is of Heaven and that is why the world will at all times dispute archaeological finds whether authentic or questionable to endorse the carnal and atheistic basis of thinking this world attributes to sanity.I know the Nephilim were there and are still ‘here”, i believe we had dinosaurs as well and believe in Lucifer and his existence and all his imps ,witches,queens of the coasts ,druids etc because i have seen them with my own two eyes through the gifts of the Holy Spirit since birth.Even if i had not seen these things ,,,the only book with “Truth” says so-Glory be to God ,the Almighty Potentate , King of Kings and the Lord of Lords
If memory serves, these are a result of photoshop.
Know the Bible. Then you will see that celestial beings (sons of God) created the giants. God did not approve.
Genesis 6:2-4
Job 1:6 and 38:7
Then the size
Deuteronomy 1:28 and 2:10-11 and 3:11
Ezra 9:1-2
2 Samuel 21:20
God bless. I hope you read the verse above.
They were described in the Bible.
if you remember, all of you that are on this blog thread and are true born again Christians who are looking for that glorious appearing of JesusChrist(rapture), then you will remember that Jesus himself said it shall be in these last days as it was in the days of Noah….. chew on this for a while please… prophetically we should be seeing things like this crop up frequently, and we do, whether photoshopped or not….. i looked at those pics and i cant really honestly tell a fake pic or not done well…. but, i am looking earnestly for the return of my Saviour and the abundant signs of His coming as spoken of by Himself & his prophets… i think intentions of a lot of people are wrong, but what are your own intentions with comments? Christ returneth soon…. and in my short lifetime, having been born in 1970, i have seen a lot of change in my 43 short years that tells me the end is so near for those of us looking for our Saviour, & it is exciting that public awareness of this subject has been made much more so because of the internet….
Sorry, but it is wrong to dismiss things like this immediately without research.
You should feel welcome to express your skepticism; that’s fine. You should feel welcome to criticize the overblown and cheesy composition of the mailer; that’s fine. But to declare the findings false? That takes research.
I’ve seen the same photos, and I did not forward them to anybody. But I have not found repudiation of their authenticity yet, so I also refrained from dismissing them. Rigorous attention to facts does not require that I become like an unbeliever, dismissing whatever does not conform to my preconceptions. It requires the contrary: withholding judgment until enough facts are in from which to draw a reasonable conclusion.
The content was rather grabbing and intriguing enough to receive all possible nuances to recall.
I really do enjoy studying the content and the composing manner of the writer, etc..