Category: What do you think?

Famed atheist writer Richard Dawkins told New Scientist, “I want to encourage people to think for themselves.” It’s something with which most Christians would agree.  It is also something many atheists claim is their goal as well. But Dawkins went on to say, “I’ve always felt rather passionate about breaking the cycle as each generation passes on its superstitions to the next. If you ask people why they believe in the particular religion that they do, it’s almost always because that’s how they were brought up.”  His words have a grain of truth mixed with myth.

It is unfortunate that some, as Dawkins pointed out, have a cultural religion rather than a relationship with God. The Bible even warns of those who make God’s word of no effect and only follow tradition. But let’s talk about some of his presuppositions. Firstly, I disagree that most Christians have a relationship with Jesus simply because it was the way they were brought up, and he didn’t give any proof of this claim. It’s also clear that Dawkins uses the word ‘superstition’ to describe anyone’s faith in God. That may be his faith, but he has never proven God to be a myth.  And lastly, he implies that Christians don’t think for themselves; something echoed by so many who look to his books and lectures for justification of their hatred of God. But does the Bible tell Christians to leave the thinking to someone else?

Isiah says, “let us reason together;” Matthew warns us of religious leaders who mislead people; and the Bible makes it clear we are not to let scribes and Pharisees do our thinking.

Faith is not the result of letting someone else do our thinking.  Ephesians says saving faith is a gift from God, and it cannot come from from any other person.

God’s gift is free to all who will ask.  Will you accept His offer?

I read a post from a non-believer who said one of the most pernicious myths among evangelicals is that atheists need something bad to happen to them to “strong-arm them into believing in nonsense for no good reason.”  Those are his words, not mine.

This claim reveals more about myths among anti-theists than it does about Christian belief.  I’ve never heard a preacher say that no one is saved until God “strong-arms” them. While it’s true that some turn to God when tragedy diminishes the distractions once considered important, a bad experience is hardly a requirement.   Anyone who says otherwise presupposes that Christians turn to our Savior only to be saved from some immediate problem.

The book of Ephesians tells us, “…it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”  If we are saved by faith, and our faith is a gift from God (given to those who seek Him,) then there is no “strong-arm,” just God calling us to accept a gift.

At the end of the day, there’s no strong-arm; just God offering salvation through the sacrifice His son made on the cross.

Will you accept His gift?

When Christians reject the claims of all religions but their own, aren’t they doing the same thing Atheists do? That is, aren’t they skeptics, but just not as skeptical as atheists? This question is often posed by anti-theists seemingly trying to demonstrate that Christians are close to the truth, but not as close as the atheist.  It is also a question that sidesteps something very important.

Christians do not reject other religions from the same skepticism as that expressed by anti-theists.  False doctrines are rejected by Christians because they have had their eyes open to the realities of sin, and God’s gift of redemption. Christians reject false doctrine because of a posteriori knowledge; that is, knowledge only known by experience.  In this case, it is secondary to God’s gift of salvation. It’s understandable that an atheist, especially anti-theists, would be skeptical because a Christian cannot share his or her first-hand knowledge.  It’s like trying to tell someone what a broken bone feels like.  You can tell someone it hurts, you can show them how the body functions to experience pain, but you cannot KNOW how a broken bone feels until you’ve had one.  But it seems the skepticism of anti-theists is very different than that expressed by Christians.

The skepticism of anti-theists, at least those with whom I have had dialog, amounts to rejection of anything that would lead to even the possibility that there may be a God.  Too be clear, Christians reject that which contradicts his or her own first-hand experience with God, atheists usually reject other people’s a posteriori knowledge, but anti-theists reject anything that results in a conclusion they don’t want to reach.  Take a moment to scan social media debates with a critical mind.  It’s clear there are those who change their standard of acceptable evidence depending on to what conclusion that evidence would lead. There is a difference between the type of skepticism.

God calls everyone to repentance. Everyone has the freedom to accept or reject His offer of salvation and forgiveness of sin through the blood of his son Jesus.  It doesn’t matter what I’ve experienced, or what an anti-theist wants you to accept or reject.  The most important question is: Will you accept His gift, or reject it without consideration?