2021 MS and HS Summer Youth Retreat

Introduction:

"Pretest": I think it would be good to give them a handout or something that has some of the below questions phrased as yes or no questions. We know that they will say the right answer for all of them. But then after they are done, tell them "Now go through each question you just answered and prove it."
- "Does God exist?"
- "Did God create the world?"
- "Did God create man or did man evolve from animals?"
- "Did Jesus rise from the dead?"
- "True or False: Jesus is God"
- "True or False: The Holy Spirit is God"
What is Apologetics? When do we use apologetics? What are the categories or levels of apologetics?
Can we know for certain?
How is faith involved?
Is probability involved? Difference between possible and probable

In this station, we will read the Creation account in Genesis 1-2
A potential activity here is for everyone to go outside and examine nature from the smallest to the biggest of things, from the different seasons, different materials, patterns, colors. Then sit down and write what order the world was created in based on your observations.
We can compare the Creation account and especially the order of creation with what science has told us (i.e. light and then water, plants and then animals)
Also the importance of time - science tells us that millions of years were needed for the world to get to what it is now... does the Bible Support that? Or is it seven 24 hour days
This Genesis account that was written thousands of years before the first telescopes and microscopes were invented... what are the odds that it got it all right?

What is science? What is the scientific method? What does science look like? Can science form a conclusion about something that's outside the physical realm?
How do we argue against science?

Origin of Life:
- What is Evolution? What does science KNOW? What does science THEORIZE?
- Challenge the data, identify the gap, offer an alternate conclusion
Origin of Matter:
- What is the Big Bang? What does science KNOW? What does science THEORIZE?
- Challenge the data, identify the gap, offer an alternate conclusion

Extrabiblical sources of Christ
Archaeology, Historical Documents, etc.
Maybe the Shroud of Turin and Sudarium of Oviedo?
Biblical Manuscripts (as compared with manuscripts of any other writing in the history of the world)

There are three ways to spread a message for it to be successful:
- With Deceit (i.e. in secret) - Mormonism
- With Power and Compulsion (i.e. forcefully) - Islam
- Openly, with conviction, tolerating the consequences - Christianity
It is illogical that Christianity would have survived or flourished:
- The message was difficult to accept
- You cannot join the group unless you believe the message
- The message was spread at a time of no "freedom of speech" or "political correctness"
- Christianity had many powerful opponents
  - Religious opponents in the Jews
  - Philosophical/Intellectual opponents in the Greeks
  - Political opponents in the Romans
- Punishment is severe torture, imprisonment or death
- Started with very few people (just 120 or so)
- All of the leaders were martyred and killed publicly
- To join you had to forsake your riches and forsake worldly pleasures

What are the proofs of the Resurrection?
What are the arguments against the Resurrection and how do we answer them? (e.g. Mass Hallucination... Jewish argument, etc.)

St Mary Zeitoun happened in the late 60s, went on for two years, there are photographs from before the days of Photoshop (some of them taken by Muslims), many people came from around the world to witness it
Pope Kyrillos and the multitudes that witnessed to his miracles