A Challenge For Atheists

Christians are often accused of being close-minded for not conforming to the naturalistic belief system which is so prevalent in the U.S. So for this little experiment, I would like to see if atheists practice the same open-mindedness they preach.

If you are an atheist, what I want to know is: If God did exist, what would it take to convince you? Give me a hypothetical example of evidence that you would not reject.

I'll be pleasantly surprised to receive any response to this query at all.

In Christ's Love,
Matthew

P.S. - Mudskipper requested a prize for his latest comments on this post. I guess it's only fair! So, Mudskipper, here it is:

Why Do We Pray?

MudSkipper asked:

"Why do Christians pray? I mean, God is omniscient, and pretty much knows what you are thinking before you even think of it. Every time I go over to a Christian person's house for dinner, which is fairly often, I often ask myself that question when we pause to pray. "We" being the 3rd person way of being polite, since it is really "They" who pause ( With a curious look on my face as I look at the somber lot talking to someone who isn't there). What could you possibly say, or ask for, that God in his omniscience, doesn't already know? What do they hope to accomplish? Do they want to change God's mind? . . . . He even knows that you would ask him, and has already issued a response before you even asked!"

? ? ? ? ?

Why do we pray if God already knows what we are going to say? Steve (MudSkipper) has deemed this a "Silly Question" on his blog, but I think it's a rather good one. I'm going to open this one up to reader-response.

Comment Away!

In Christ's Love,

Matthew

Why Did God Send Bears to Maul Innocent Children?

MudSkipper said:

OK, so here's my hardest question:

Why does God maul children with bears?
For example, why did God kill 42 children for saying to Elisha to "Go on up baldhead"?

He could have just spanked them, but mauling them with bears was somehow necessary.

So tell me, why does God kill children like that?

If you can somehow convince me that mauling children with bears is justified, then I will become a Christian, I give you my word.

Read the story here:

2 Kings 2:23-25 (KJV)

23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.

24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

25 And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.

First off, a few things to consider about this verse:

1. The word translated “children” (‏נַעַר‎) would more accurately be deemed “young men.”

2. The fact that an incredible 42 were killed suggests that this was more than simply a small group of individuals making fun of a man’s baldness. This was organized and possibly premeditated.

3. The term “bald head” (‏קֵרֵחַ‎) was most likely a reference to leprosy (Leviticus 13:40-44), not merely a comment on physical appearance.

4. The phrase “go up” (‏עָלָה‎) is likely a reference to Elijah having been caught up to Heaven (2 Kings 2:11-12), thus we see here that this was specifically a case of religious persecution, not simple ridicule.

In conclusion, they were most likely not “children” in the sense your question suggests, they were not simply mocking Elisha’s physical appearance, and it was organized religious persecution, not coincidental ridicule. Furthermore…

You specifically challenged to me prove that this action was “justified.” Justifying it is in fact the simplest part of your inquiry. You see, the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). It is not that the children were very unfortunate, but rather that we are extremely fortunate that we haven’t been mauled by bears ourselves. We should praise God for having the mercy to withhold His wrath from us for a season, and, for those who embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for eternity.

I’m sure you’ll find several things to disagree with here, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that your key complaint will be that you don’t agree with God’s standards. That, of course, is your opinion and you are free to feel that way, but surely you know that if there is a God then He has every right to be the one who sets the standards.

In Christ’s Love,
Matthew

P.S. - For the rest of my readers, Steve didn't post this part on my blog but he put it on his. You might find it interesting: I'm going to do like Jesus said, sell all my possessions and follow Him if mauling children is justified. I'm waiting, with anticipation of the answer to this question...

All the more reason why I'm sure this answer won't be good enough for him... he's staked too much on this issue.

By the way, I promised Steve a prize if I ever created a post based off one of his questions, so... here it is!

The Age Old Question...

Can God create a rock so heavy He can't lift it? This and other paradoxical (and somewhat ridiculous) questions are repeated so many times they are quickly passed off as simply unanswerable just to make the matter easier to deal with. Which is sad, considering how easy the answer is to come by: Yes, if He imposes limitations upon Himself to do it. Not only is this answer simple, but, surprisingly, it is Biblical. Just as God created a cross so burdensome He needed help to carry it (Matthew 27:32), God can impose limitations upon Himself.

A few other silly questions atheists throw our way:

1. Can God create a spherical triangle?

2. Could God think of a time when He was not omnipotent? If He can't think of it, He isn't omnipotent, but if He does think of it then there was a time when He wasn't omnipotent?

3. If God can do anything, does that mean He can fail?

By asking these self-cancelling questions, atheists hope to "prove" God doesn't exist simply because they were able to hopelessly confuse a Christian. In the future, don't fall for it. If the atheist has any common sense He knows none of these questions can resolve the question of whether or not God exists.

In Christ's Love,

Matthew

Answering 8 Silly Questions Skeptics Ask...

Here are eight of the many strange and less than well-thought-out questions/objections you are probably tired of hearing while sharing your faith:

Q. "If there is a God who loves us, then why is there suffering in the world?"

A. Where does suffering come from? Suffering is caused by sin. If your home is broken into and your belongings are missing, that's suffering. Who caused it? A fellow human being who broke God's moral law, so your suffering was caused by man, not God. God gives us all a choice, the God you are proposing would force us all to adhere to His standards... that isn't very loving, is it?
Q. "Don't all paths lead to the same place?"

A. Most paths lead to the same place, so you're almost right. Truth is not relative, we don't get to decide what the truth is. If you step off the edge of a cliff and proclaim, "I don't believe in gravity," you will still suffer the consequences of breaking the law of gravity, regardless of whether you believe in it or not. Likewise, when you choose to violate God's moral law, you run the risk of suffering the consequences of breaking that law, regardless of whether you believe in it or not.

Q. "Why should I go to church when those people are nothing but hypocrites?"

A. True Christians don't claim to be perfect (which would violate 1 John 1:8), only forgiven.

Q. "Isn't the Bible full of contradictions?"

A. See Contradictions In the Bible?

Q. "If I'm a good person, God wouldn't send me to Hell, would He?"

A. If you were a good person, then you might be on to something. But the Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

Q. "Can't I just worry about all this religious stuff in the next life?"

A. Trust me, you will be worrying about it in "the next life," but by then it will be too late to do anything about it. "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).

Q. "If I became a Christian, wouldn't I have to give up all the things I like to do?"

A. Why would you have to give them up? If you think that coming to God would mean giving up the things you enjoy, then doesn't that mean that you know those things are wrong? The choice is yours: Risk misery now, or guarantee misery for eternity.

Q. "I want to remain open-minded, so why would I want to become a Christian?"

A. If you know you will never become a Christian because you are too open-minded, then in reality you are being very close-minded.

More often than not, the sort of person who will ask any of these questions will probably ask them all (and in rapid succession). When this happens, you need not worry: you probably aren't going to get anywhere with this person no matter what you say, at least not in an intellectual argument. Try and direct the discussion toward one's personal sin and need of forgiveness, the true problem at the heart of the issue.

In Christ's Love,
Matthew