In Part 2 of this blog on the issue of atheism, I am aware that the reasons people don’t believe in the God of the Bible are as varied and complex as the individuals themselves. However, the points I made in my previous blog and those I make below, concern just a few of the basic flaws in the thinking of the more ill-informed and antagonistic of the atheist camp.
Atheists.pick and choose only “negative” examples as “proofs” that God does not exist or that Christianity is not true.
For example, they condemn Christianity because of some of the lamentable, ungodly history of the Christian church such as the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition. But they conveniently ignore the tens of thousands, perhaps millions of believers over the centuries that have selflessly given their lives to relieve suffering and begin some of the greatest humanitarian movements in history. They don’t stop to read the teachings of Jesus with an open, honest mind. So they don’t consider that the veracity of God and Christianity cannot be decided by the behavior of false or misguided Christians.
One blog challenged the Christian belief in God’s healing power: “But what about Grandma who gets ‘healed’ at a church service and the next Sunday night is in pain again?”
So? What’s the point? I’ve heard countless stories of the sort they stubbornly ignore or cleverly sidestep, stories of Christians who experienced miraculous intervention in their lives. These events would take some really impressive mental gymnastics to explain away. I had an aunt who was diagnosed with abdominal tumors. People prayed for her and when the surgeon opened her up, the tumors had “mysteriously” vanished!
I listened to the testimony of a missionary team who had ministered in a predominantly Muslim nation. While there, they were asked to pray for the wheat field of one of the native Christians as a severe storm with hail was approaching. When the storm passed, the Christian’s field had been spared but all the fields of the unbelievers had been destroyed. Of course, atheists would accuse God of showing favoritism and being an unloving jerk by not sparing the Muslim fields as well. But I am sure these folks would not want to be judged for their actions by people who don’t understand the reasons behind those actions. Can’t they do the same for God?
They don’t understand the value of pain, the seriousness of sin and the necessity of a holy God’s judgment of sin. And because they don’t understand, they come to pitifully wrong conclusions and reject the entire faith package.
The value of pain and suffering would take several blogs to address. And it is a value many Christians, including myself, also struggle to understand. Pain was never meant to be a part of our world but because of Adam and Eve’s rebellion, suffering is often the most effective teaching tool the Lord has at his disposal. And it is not just Christians who believe this. Below are a couple of quotes.
“Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life’s search for love and wisdom.”
“Without pain, there would be no suffering, without suffering we would never learn from our mistakes. To make it right, pain and suffering is the key to all windows, without it, there is no way of life.”
Angelina Jolie
And if they would understand what sin is, how it hurts us all and why God has to deal with it so harshly, they would begin to have a glimmer of understanding as to Israel’s bloody conquest of Canaan land and many other events in the Old Testament. And they would also begin to understand the significance of the cross.
Not all atheists are rabid wells of hostile, ill-informed, bizarre statements. Some are kind and respectful to their Christian debaters, listen respectfully and have some very logical sounding arguments, which can shake you to the core if you’re not prepared. But take their arguments apart and look at the foundations and building blocks. They will fall apart every time.
After posting my last blog, I received a comment from a gentleman who said he had once been a strong Christian from a devout Christian family. He had studied the New Testament and its background and read apologetic literature. Yet he has lost faith in a divine being and said that “A number of atheists are former pastors, preachers, ministers, theologians, apologists, and New Testament scholars.” He wanted to let me know that not all atheists are “bad eggs.”
I cannot help but think that there is a misunderstanding or some confusion somewhere that has “tripped him up” and caused him to turn from God, even after so much study and years of faith.
In interacting with atheists, we must remember the burden of proof is not on us. Rather than trying to defend our faith–which needs none– lay the burden of proof on the atheist. Ask him what brought him to a particular conclusion. Then listen–really listen. This shows respect for him and his viewpoint. The questions also cause him to think through his assumptions and beliefs and he may discover he really doesn’t have a solid foundation for the point he’s trying to make.
Never decide that atheists are hard-headed, hard-hearted and impossibly far from God.
It is not our place to judge for only the Father can see the heart. Unless the Holy Spirit shows us, we will never know how close they are to the kingdom. Their opposition may simply be a thin smokescreen over deep hurts, fears and simple ignorance. They may be “ripe for the picking” and all it takes is one statement, perhaps one act of kindness and their “atheistic faith” takes a permanent nosedive as the Spirit woos them into the arms of the Savior.
A last word of honesty
None of us are free from weakness or stumbling. At times in my life, I have doubted God’s existence. These experiences were very painful and disturbing. However, over the years I have read much, studied and listened to the stories of other Christians who have experienced God’s miraculous intervention in their lives. I have also seen His unmistakable work in my own. And, although it may sound presumptuous, I have come to some satisfactory answers to some of the most difficult questions about God and the Christian faith. As a result, I have no excuse to turn my back on the Savior.
If you too are struggling, there’s a wealth of knowledge out there to help you. And it’s not the doubts that are the tragedy. They can strengthen your faith and God is not angry with you because of them. The tragedy is when you let those doubts turn you away from your faith.
I’ve included a few links to websites that might be helpful:
http://www.reasons.org/
http://www.biola.edu/academics/sas/apologetics/
http://www.christianpost.com/news/atheist-activist-becomes-christian-after-believers-show-him-compassion-72655/
http://str.typepad.com/weblog/2014/08/arguments-for-god-burden-of-proof.html
http://dontaskthatinchurch.blogspot.com/2011/06/top-50-questions-christians-cant-answer.html
*An additional comment to this last link is that some of these questions that Christians “can’t answer” never have to be asked if you have a solid understanding of basic Christianity.
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