How Do You Respond to Atheists?

April_Rose · Sep 7, 2020

Who question you on how you base your beliefs on faith and not actual facts? Cause I'm having that problem in another topic and I feel like I'm not a strong Christian when they tell me that I'm basing my faith on a bunch of lies and I can go to the library and find out they're right and my faith feels so weak. I love Jesus and I want to have strong faith in Him,.. but it's making me question and doubt myself of the possibility that they might be right and I'm scared of losing my salvation again.

GraceBro · Sep 7, 2020

April_Rose said:
Who question you on how you base your beliefs on faith and not actual facts? Cause I'm having that problem in another topic and I feel like I'm not a strong Christian when they tell me that I'm basing my faith on a bunch of lies and I can go to the library and find out they're right and my faith feels so weak. I love Jesus and I want to have strong faith in Him,.. but it's making me question and doubt myself of the possibility that they might be right and I'm scared of losing my salvation again.

Each atheist is different but never accept their premise. If they say you believe a bunch of lies, they are probably basing that off of their understanding of the Christian faith, not anything you have told them. There is a big chance that the God they say is a lie or based on lies doesn't exist. Therefore, they may be correct in their beliefs. They are judging God using their standard of right and wrong, just and unjust. You don't have to be on the defensive. Besides, are their people you know that they do not, and vice versa? The existence of these people is not predicated on others knowing them. It is the same way with God. Just because an atheist says something is right doesn't make it so. Furthermore, your salvation is not contingent on your ability to debate atheism. It is contingent on the promises of God never to leave you or forsake you and other guarantees.

2PhiloVoid · Sep 7, 2020

April_Rose said:
Who question you on how you base your beliefs on faith and not actual facts? Cause I'm having that problem in another topic and I feel like I'm not a strong Christian when they tell me that I'm basing my faith on a bunch of lies and I can go to the library and find out they're right and my faith feels so weak. I love Jesus and I want to have strong faith in Him,.. but it's making me question and doubt myself of the possibility that they might be right and I'm scared of losing my salvation again.

I wouldn't worry too much about it, April. Being that just about any human being can and often will get something "right" about the world when making evaluations regarding human life and human spirituality, it should go without saying that atheists will have some good points to make and that Christians (or just theists in general) should consider what is being said.

HOWEVER, simply because some one atheist expresses a collection of what are essentially correct statements doesn't mean that all of those statements aren't sitting among some exaggerations or that those statements report the full story about any one idea.

April_Rose · Sep 7, 2020

Not too sure a hundred percent of what you guys are saying.

2PhiloVoid · Sep 7, 2020

April_Rose said:
Not too sure a hundred percent of what you guys are saying.

Sorry for my typos. I've attempted to edit what I just said above. Basically, just don't assume that everything that either atheists or Christians may say is indeed comprehensive and ultimately correct. That's all I'm trying to say.

So, how does one respond to atheists? Well, that will depend on the education level and the psychology of the specific atheist you're attempting to talk to.

rockytopva · Sep 7, 2020

To me the whole creation testfies to the fact that there is a God....

1. Field grass, corn, and wheat are a combination of sun, rain, and chlorophyll (C55H70O6N4Mg)
2. Cows turn that product to milk and meat.
3. Animals such as dogs with coats that can withstand weather and cold water.
4. Small insects with brains the size of a grain of sand that can make products such as honey.
5. An abundance of minerals and crude oil for our consumption.
6. The senses and man's ability to interpret his surroundings.
7. The chemistry of earths crust.

And especially the ability to sense God's Spirit in our life.

April_Rose · Sep 7, 2020

rockytopva said:
To me the whole creation testfies to the fact that there is a God....

1. Field grass, corn, and wheat are a combination of sun, rain, and chlorophyll (C55H70O6N4Mg)
2. Cows turn that product to milk and meat.
3. Animals such as dogs with coats that can withstand weather and cold water.
4. Small insects with brains the size of a grain of sand that can make products such as honey.
5. An abundance of minerals and crude oil for our consumption.
6. The senses and man's ability to interpret his surroundings.
7. The chemistry of earths crust.

And especially the ability to sense God's Spirit in our life.

Do you mind if I use this?

Anthony2019 · Sep 7, 2020

Whenever I speak to atheists, I never make the mistake of assuming that they don't know anything about the Christian faith. A lot of atheists are highly intelligent people who are extremely knowledgeable about Christianity and are very familiar with the scriptures. Many of them have studied subjects such as history and theology.

I think we often make a mistake when we assume that all atheists are antagonists. I would say that the majority of atheists just want to "live and let live" and are quite happy for us to continue believing what we believe. Many of my friends are agnostics and atheists and although we may not agree on theological matters, we can still learn from each other's life experiences.

How do I respond to someone who is determined to reject the Christian faith? Firstly, I don't argue with them. Instead I share with them the story of my life and how my faith has helped me.One wise Christian friend once told me that "an ounce of experience is worth a ton of theory".

rockytopva · Sep 7, 2020

April_Rose said:
Do you mind if I use this?

Sure, honored, and thanks! I also have a web site where I try to bring the reality of God into peoples lives... https://www.youtube.com/rockytopva.

April_Rose · Sep 7, 2020

rockytopva said:
Sure, honored, and thanks! I alsohave a web site where I try to bring the reality of God into peoples lives... https://www.youtube.com/rockytopva.

Thanks, much appreciated.

rockytopva · Sep 7, 2020

Anthony2019 said:
Whenever I speak to atheists, I never make the mistake of assuming that they don't know anything about the Christian faith. A lot of atheists are highly intelligent people who are extremely knowledgeable about Christianity and are very familiar with the scriptures. Many of them have studied subjects such as history and theology.

I think we often make a mistake when we assume that all atheists are antagonists. I would say that the majority of atheists just want to "live and let live" and are quite happy for us to continue believing what we believe. Many of my friends are agnostics and atheists and although we may not agree on theological matters, we can still learn from each other's life experiences.

How do I respond to someone who is determined to reject the Christian faith? Firstly, I don't argue with them. Instead I share with them the story of my life and how my faith has helped me.One wise Christian friend once told me that "an ounce of experience is worth a ton of theory".

Agreed, we also do not know the disappointments they have encountered with basically mean hearted church people.

grasping the after wind · Sep 7, 2020

April_Rose said:
Who question you on how you base your beliefs on faith and not actual facts? Cause I'm having that problem in another topic and I feel like I'm not a strong Christian when they tell me that I'm basing my faith on a bunch of lies and I can go to the library and find out they're right and my faith feels so weak. I love Jesus and I want to have strong faith in Him,.. but it's making me question and doubt myself of the possibility that they might be right and I'm scared of losing my salvation again.

Everyone bases every belief they hold on faith. That is why it is called belief and not fact checking. What does anyone say about what they believe that can be objectively proven by citing a fact. A fact is not incontrovertible evidence of anything but that this particular fact is a fact. People believe for instance that the speed of light in a vacuum is 2.998 x 10 8 m/sec. How many of those people have ever measured light's speed going through a vacuum? None of them as a vacuum does not exist anywhere in the known universe. They base their conclusion about the speed o flight on their faith in a calculation made by someone that also did not find a vacuum and put a stop watch to light as it travelled through it. Then there is geometry in which one must believe in a thing that has no height, width or length and that if one gets enough of these non dimensional things together they can make another thing that only has length but no height or width. One does not see these things anywhere within the bounds of factual reality but only believes them by faith alone.

Kenny'sID · Sep 7, 2020

April_Rose said:
Who question you on how you base your beliefs on faith and not actual facts? Cause I'm having that problem in another topic and I feel like I'm not a strong Christian when they tell me that I'm basing my faith on a bunch of lies and I can go to the library and find out they're right and my faith feels so weak. I love Jesus and I want to have strong faith in Him,.. but it's making me question and doubt myself of the possibility that they might be right and I'm scared of losing my salvation again.

Tell them they can no more prove their evolution/big bang or however they explain it, than they can prove what they call your lies are actually lies at all.

I've never seen one person here come close to proving evolution. So much of it is based on assumption, it simply doesn't hold water. But they have all this evidence? No, not when we get into the details of that so called evidence, at which point is just falls apart.

April_Rose · Sep 7, 2020

Kenny'sID said:
Tell them they can no more prove their evolution/big bang or however they explain it, than they can prove what they call your lies are actually lies at all.

I've never seen one person here come close to proving evolution. So much of it is based on assumption, it simply doesn't hold water. But they have all this evidence? No, not when we get into the details of that so called evidence, at which point is just falls apart.

Actually their argument is that scientists actually have discovered it so it has to be true. Haven't scientists also discovered Noah's Ark though and a bunch of other biblical relics?

ViaCrucis · Sep 7, 2020

April_Rose said:
Who question you on how you base your beliefs on faith and not actual facts? Cause I'm having that problem in another topic and I feel like I'm not a strong Christian when they tell me that I'm basing my faith on a bunch of lies and I can go to the library and find out they're right and my faith feels so weak. I love Jesus and I want to have strong faith in Him,.. but it's making me question and doubt myself of the possibility that they might be right and I'm scared of losing my salvation again.

Christianity depends, really, on one thing and one thing only: Did Jesus of Nazareth rise from the dead?

This is, ultimately, a faith claim. A claim that cannot be demonstrated through empirical observation. There might be many reasons to defend this faith claim--for example that this is clearly what the earliest followers of Jesus believed, and there must be a REASON why they believed it. That the earliest confession isn't just that Jesus rose (and nobody saw it), but that there were people, actual people who witnessed the resurrected Jesus, and who were there preaching this in the first century.

But, that is what we might call circumstantial evidence, and that isn't going to "prove" it to a skeptic. And that's okay. It's not our job to prove the truth of our faith to skeptics, we cannot convert anyone from not believing to believing. Only God can do that.

I have long come to peace with the non-rationality of my Christian faith. What we believe is foolish and absurd, and that's okay.

St. Paul says that God chose the foolish and weak things to demonstrate His wisdom and power.

Everything depends on Jesus' resurrection. as Dr. Jaroslav Pelikan once said,

"If Christ is risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen—nothing else matters."

If Jesus has risen from the dead, then nothing else matters--He's risen!
And if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then nothing else matters, everything else we might believe is meaningless.

-CryptoLutheran

bèlla · Sep 7, 2020

AR,

My experiences are similar to @Anthony2019. I’ve known, dated, and befriended atheists and agnostics in the past. None were hostile. The lone person who spoke out of turn on occasion ceased to behave that way when we were better acquainted and I prayed for him.

I believe love covers a multiple of sins. I’ll have a greater impact by listening and desisting in other-centered dialogue with unbelievers. I’m candid about my life and experiences. But I make no attempt to sway or win arguments. I pray for them and offer to do so when they’re experiencing hardships. I affirm my desire to see them well and prospering. That isn’t limited to faith. I’m genuinely interested in their welfare.

I led a group of people to faith in the past and ministered to many over the years. I never forgot my estrangement or the love and kindness I experienced in that period. I try to do the same whenever I can.

Yours in His Service,

~Bella

Sketcher · Sep 7, 2020

April_Rose said:
Who question you on how you base your beliefs on faith and not actual facts? Cause I'm having that problem in another topic and I feel like I'm not a strong Christian when they tell me that I'm basing my faith on a bunch of lies and I can go to the library and find out they're right and my faith feels so weak. I love Jesus and I want to have strong faith in Him,.. but it's making me question and doubt myself of the possibility that they might be right and I'm scared of losing my salvation again.

Depends on their specific argument, attitude, and maturity level.

Aside for my remembering what God did for me (which won't matter to most of them - other people's testimonies may well have more impact), some of the pillars of my defense will be:

1) The history in favor of the Resurrection. The Resurrection is what matters the most. If it didn't happen, Christianity isn't true. If it did happen, the best explanation for it is Christianity being true.

2) If the atheist is a functioning human being, he/she has faith too. You have to listen to them to find out what their faith is in, but if they're saying stupid stuff like they go by facts not faith, they're setting themselves up for being disproven when faith is defined and they are proven to have faith in whatever ideas they believe in.

3) They are humans and are not immune to committing logical fallacies in their rejection of Christianity or in their own belief system. You have to listen to them to know where to point this out.

4) Keep asking questions that logically challenge their worldview to work them back. Atheists have a hard time justifying some of their closest-held moral beliefs if there is no God, for instance. And they have a hard time explaining what caused the Big Bang if there is no God.

Obviously, what this will look like will depend on the nature of the conversation. You don't get hostile and aggressive if they're not being hostile and aggressive. I think much of the hostility and aggression occurs because they are ultimately uncomfortable with having rejected the faith they were taught as children and they need to soothe their consciouses, but much of that will not be overt. The overriding rule is don't be the jerk in the conversation, be the more loving person in the conversation.

GraceBro · Sep 7, 2020

April_Rose said:
Not too sure a hundred percent of what you guys are saying.

Ask questions.

ViaCrucis · Sep 7, 2020

April_Rose said:
Actually their argument is that scientists actually have discovered it so it has to be true. Haven't scientists also discovered Noah's Ark though and a bunch of other biblical relics?

Yes, things like evolution and cosmic inflation (i.e. the "Big Bang") are demonstrable scientific truths.

Noah's Ark has not been discovered.

Our faith does not depend on a literal reading of certain portions of Scripture, such as a literal reading of the creation stories in Genesis, or of Noah and the flood.

Our faith depends upon Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, who suffered under Pilate, was crucified, dead, buried, and who rose on the third day.

We read and confess the Scriptures because we believe in Jesus.
We do not believe in Jesus because of the Scriptures.

If Jesus is raised from the dead, then He is what He said He was, and our faith is true.
If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then He is dead, and Christianity is meaningless.

It all depends on the truth of Jesus--not on whether or not there was a global flood, a giant boat, or whether there is a literal dome of water over the earth (there isn't) or anything like that.

And those who make Christianity depend on those things, rather than Jesus, are building their faith on weak sand rather than the solid rock and foundation of Jesus Christ.

-CryptoLutheran

Kenny'sID · Sep 7, 2020

April_Rose said:
Actually their argument is that scientists actually have discovered it so it has to be true. Haven't scientists also discovered Noah's Ark though and a bunch of other biblical relics?

Yes that is what they say but once the questions on the details of what scientists have discovered begin, things don't often work out for them.

Those who just believe them without question, choose to belive them, truth or not, so they get what they want, to belve there is no God, and that allows them an excuse to act like the devil and not worry about the consequences.

On your point,there are scientists that also prove Gods existance

How Do You Respond to Atheists?

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