Wednesday 7 January 2015

A Christian Finds 4 Problems With Atheism

I recently came across this post which appeared at 'Lagoon Tech Blog' in January 2013. Scroll down past the screenshot to see my responses:




The blogger's name is Richard.
His original words appear in black.
My responses are in red.


(1)

Atheists say there is no God. 
Some atheists do, indeed, say that there is no god, but many others (perhaps even the majority) say that they have no belief in god. They will change their mind if there is evidence for god's existence but, until then, they remain unconvinced.

However, we know from the Bible that Jesus has shown us humans that He does indeed exist. 
Blogger Richard is arguing in a circle: Christians say that Jesus exists because the bible tells them so, and we know the bible is true because Christians say it is.

So when an atheist says to you that there is no God, he is lying to you and maybe even to himself.
Not mistaken. Not uneducated. Not honestly misguided. Not unsure about the truth. None of those possibilities are considered by Richard who goes straight ahead and declares that the atheists are liars. Probably not the best way to make friends and influence people.

Their thoughts are useless, and their stupid minds are in the dark.” – Romans 1:18-21 CEV
Blogger Richard now hides behind his bible and uses it to hurl more insults at the atheists. We hear so much about Christian love and tolerance yet here the Christian tells the atheists that they are useless, stupid, liars, living in the dark!

 (2)

Most (if not all) atheists believe in evolution. 
Atheists don't just "believe" in evolution as an article of faith. There is good evidence for evolution and most atheists accept that evidence.

However, evolution is a failed idea that has been shown to be false day in and day out. 
Suppose the fossilized bones of a mammal were found in the Pre-Cambrian rock layer. If that happened the theory of evolution would be disproved and the person who made the discovery would probably win a Nobel Prize. Blogger Richard says evolution "has been shown to be false day in and day out" so perhaps he should present that falsifying evidence to the world. He will be hailed a hero by his Christian peers and will win the acclaim of scientists around the world.

Atheism is really built around evolution and the always-failing philosophy of humanism 
No, atheism is merely a lack of belief in god. Sure, many atheists accept evolution and many atheists are humanists but that has nothing to do with atheism itself. Atheism is just a lack of belief in god.

(how else are you going to try to justify there is no God and creation is just a myth?).
Once again, the atheist is not necessarily saying "there is no God". Many atheists go out of their way NOT to make that claim.

 (3)

Have you noticed that while atheists say that there is no God, 
Very few atheists say "there is no God". And atheism, properly defined, is merely a lack of belief in god. Look at it this way: There are many Christians who believe that the communion wafer literally changes into the flesh of Jesus, but there are many others who think the change is symbolic and not literal. Also, there are many Christians who believe that infant baptism is the way to go, while other Christians think that baptism is not effective unless it is performed on someone old enough to understand what is happening. Clearly we cannot make a blanket statement and declare that ALL Christians believe this, that, or the other (because not all of them do). And neither can we claim that all atheists "say there is no God" because many of them do not.

most of the time they are talking about Jesus Christ? 
No, that is not true. Atheists are well aware that god and Jesus are two different characters. God is a deity in which atheists do not believe, but most atheists (not all) think that Jesus Christ did exist. Not the miracle working Jesus who walked on water, but they do accept that there was an historical Jesus behind the gospel stories.

Why are they (most of the time) not talking about buddha or allah or some other false god? 
Blogger Richard is writing in America and that's why most atheists he knows are talking about the Christian god; because Christianity is the religion of 92% of the population in America. It is Christians who are telling American atheists that they are useless, stupid liars (see above) and so they respond to those specific attacks. Atheists in Iran will spend most of their time talking about Allah with hardly a thought for Yahweh; because Islam is the religion of (probably) 95% of the population in Iran.

In fact, I have never (except maybe once) heard an atheist talk about any other god except Jesus Christ. 
I'm surprised to hear that. There is not an atheist I know who has ever claimed that Jesus Christ was god. Sure, the atheists know that Christians claim that Jesus is god, but the atheists don't accept that claim. They regard Jesus as a man, not a god.

Why do athiests get angry with Jesus Christ (someone who they say does not exist)? Does that make any sense to you?
Actually, most atheists DO accept that Jesus existed and they are not angry with him. Except maybe that time when he said that unbelievers should have a millstone tied around their neck and they should be thrown into the ocean and drowned. (Matthew 18:6)

If I were to tell you that Star Trek was not fictional but in fact true, what would you do? You would probably laugh at me and/or just ignore me altogether. Would you get angry? Would you put up tons of blogs and websites saying how I am stupid and how I am weird? Of course not! Star Trek is fake, you know it, I know it, and there is no need to convince others (and maybe even ourselves) that Star Trek is fictional. If atheists really thought that Jesus Christ did not exist, they would not only NOT make Jesus a primary target, but they also would not have to try to convince people (and maybe themselves as well) that Jesus Christ does not exist.
Well the people who believe in Star Trek (or Santa, or pixies, or the Tooth Fairy) are not going door-to-door trying to convert others to their way of thinking. They are not lobbying Government to impose laws that will make life difficult for those who do not believe. They are not asking Government to give them tax-breaks while everyone else has to pay. They are not asking that science classes should include pixies as possible explanations for natural events. They are not asking that all children pray to the Spock before the start of each school day. They are not demanding that our courts dole out sentences in accordance with Star Trek law. Santa Claus believers, Trekkies, and Tooth Fairy followers don't do those things - but Christians do.

Their thoughts are useless, and their stupid minds are in the dark.” – Romans 1:18-21 CEV
And here Blogger Richard repeats his earlier insults! Christian love and tolerance is more honored in the breach than the observance.

(4)

Many times, atheists use personal insults and maybe even vulgar language when talking with someone about Jesus Christ (who is a Christian). This type of attitude is a good sign that the atheist does not really have a good argument (if any) and is trying to make a point using insults and/or bad language instead of decent conversation. 
So far Blogger Richard has referred to the atheists as liars with useless thoughts and stupid minds cloaked in darkness. And now he goes on to say they are fools; they are corrupt; they have done abominable things, and none of them have ever done any good! 

“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” – Romans 1:22 KJV 

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” – Psalms 14:1 KJV
 
So Richard's point #4 could just as easily read:
Many times, Christians use personal insults and maybe even vulgar language when talking with someone about atheism. This type of attitude is a good sign that the Christian does not really have a good argument (if any) and is trying to make a point using insults and/or bad language instead of decent conversation. 
Perhaps someone should remind Blogger Richard about Matthew 7:4 where Jesus says:
How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

And before we forget the insulting words used by the Psalmist in his rant against the atheists, it is worth noting that Jesus Christ actually forbids anyone to call another person a fool. In Matthew 5:22 Jesus said:
"Anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell."
So where is the Psalmist today? Is he in heaven, or in hell?


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