It begins with Abraham’s post. He quoted John 3:16 and stated that Jesus loves you all unconditionally. “Atheist” replies by noting the condition, “whoever believes in Him.” The problem I see with many atheists is that they truly don’t understand what the Bible means. John 3:16 is referring to our salvation. Jesus is stating that we must believe in him in order to be saved and spend eternity with him. This does not mean that Jesus does not love us. I don’t always listen to my wife, but she loves me anyway. I haven’t always followed my mother’s advice, but she still thinks I’m the best thing since “All My Children.”
“Atheist” then refers to a scripture that he says led to his atheism: 1 Peter 3:15. That scripture states, “15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...” (NIV)
“Atheist” argues that if you cannot present the evidence, you’re failing as a Christian, which has some truth to it. He or she also argues that “...if you DO have good evidence that you can present and you aren’t, then you’re wasting your time, potentially being the direct cause of someone going to hell.”
There are many problems with this argument. Peter wasn’t acting as God but giving advice about carrying out your faith in a world that is struggling. 1 Peter 3 spends much of its time giving fatherly advice in living your day-to-day life. It doesn’t condemn someone to hell for struggling. He’s giving sound advice on what things we should aim for as mature Christians.
I do agree that a Christian who is unable to present evidence of their personal faith is probably failing in some kind of way. But that does not mean they are failing as a Christian; it means that the Christian is not where he or she should be in their faith.
Peter stated that we should be prepared to present a defense of our faith, which should always be the case regardless of what you believe in. If someone asks you why you are a Christian, you should be ready to answer it. I mean, come on, I’ve never met an atheist who wasn’t prepared to explain why he or she is an atheist.
“Atheist” also mentions Matthew 6:6-8 and how the “public invocation of your deity” is a “big no-no,” but he or she fails to understand those verses are referring to your personal prayer time. There are multiple examples throughout the Bible of a spiritual leader or, in Israel/Judah’s case, a king, leading his people in prayer. God does not ban that.
“Atheist” also references Galatians 5:19-21 and how it bans idolatry. He notes that the special significance put on crosses and crucifixes by many Christians “bars” them from heaven. I agree that people who worship their crosses, crucifixes, and other artifacts are indeed committing a sin. However, only unforgiven sin bars you from heaven; that’s what John 3:16 promises. (I don’t, however, believe that having a cross or crucifix is wrong. It’s not an idol unless you treat it as such. Whenever I’ve had a cross, it’s always pointed me towards the one who bore it for me.)
At the root of this, it’s clear that this person has no real understanding of Christian doctrine. This is common with many (though not all) atheists. There are quite a few half-truths within his or her argument that make me believe that someone has deceived him.
If you’re an atheist and reading this, please understand that I respect your beliefs. I don’t agree with them, but I do respect them. What this person did was disrespect the Christian’s beliefs through mostly untrue statements about the Bible and its doctrine. What’s worse is that this seems to be happening more and more within the atheist community.
I don’t mean this for all atheists, but there is a point to be made here. If you don’t believe in God, that’s your decision. Why do you even bother attacking those who do believe in Jesus Christ? Just live your life. Have a great time. Why waste time criticizing a person who did nothing to attack your beliefs? And here I thought that Christians were the ones labeled as intolerant.
