Answering Atheist Arguments: If Christianity Were True, Everyone Would Be A Christian

I have talked with a number of atheists who really believe in and use the following argument  to disprove religion/God.  They will say:

Look, there are literally thousands of religions.  The very fact that all these exist, PROVES they are all false! 

Now this is actually a direct quote from someone on Twitter who is well followed and re-tweeted often.  Clearly this Twitter user’s opinion is respected.   I asked him to explain why he thought that the existence of multiple religions proved they were all wrong.  His response:

Reality isn’t subjective.  If there was any reality to one particular religion it would be unanimously accepted.

There are a couple of claims here so I will treat each, one at a time.

Reality isn’t subjective.  – Of course this is correct.   A claim about reality is either true, or it is not true.  Either Christianity is true, or it is not true.  It can’t be true for me, but not for someone else.  That is not logical.

If there was any reality to one particular religion it would be unanimously accepted.  – Is this really true?  Does something need to be unanimously accepted in order to be true?  I really don’t think an atheist would want to argue this way because it puts him in a difficult spot.    Here’s what I mean:  If something needs to be unanimously accepted to be true, then atheism cannot be true, since not only is atheism NOT unanimously accepted, but it is the minority opinion.   If you apply the claim to itself,  all of a sudden the atheist has no footing for their own beliefs.   This is not a good argument against the reality of anything.  Universal acceptance of a truth is not required for something to be true.

The very fact that all these [religions] exist, PROVES they are all false. – Its clear that the existence of competing views of reality cannot mean that they are ALL false.   All religions COULD be false  but by no means does it prove that they are.  

This line of thinking may be a good rhetorical sound bite, but it does not hold water against even minor scrutiny.   The existence of multiple religions does not help the atheist argument at all.  People who consider themselves the guardians of reason and logic should know better than to use this argument.

Got a Gospel Beatdown This Week

Pride is a sin that almost everyone struggles with.  I am certainly not an exception to this and this week the Lord taught me a lesson about pride in a very unusual way.

Let me set the scene.  It was a slow day at work so I decided to spend a lot of time on my mobile phone arguing with various atheists on twitter.  I was getting carried away and getting aggressive.  There was one atheist in particular who kept, at least in my opinion, committing logical fallacies with his arguments.  I started ridiculing him, mocking his intelligence and was just generally being a jerk.  Now he wasn’t making very good arguments but that’s not the point, what I was doing was totally unnecessary.

About an hour later I signed into the blog just to see if there were any new comments and to my surprise I had 100 comments waiting to be moderated and had just about 10,000 pageviews on the day.  Slightly above average since a typical day yields about 65 views.  I started looking through the comments, and I would say probably 90 of the 100 were negative.  Most were just insults, some were thoughtful responses.  I looked at the article that the majority of the comments were geared toward and noticed a few mistakes in the way I worded things, though generally the article was good.  Then I got a tweet.  It explained that someone (not the person I was mocking) posted the article on some atheist board or status update with the intention of mocking me personally.  Now I have pretty thick skin anyway and I have Jesus, so the posting of the article did not have the desired effect of the perpetrator, but I did start to second guess how good the article was and frankly how smart I thought I was.

Then I felt the Lord pressing something onto my heart.  I kept thinking of a verse that fully exposed how desperately sinful I was behaving.  It was 1 Corinthians 4:7 “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? “

Why was I acting so arrogant?  Why do I think I am smarter than everybody?  As if me, in my wisdom, decided that I would seek after God and I found him because I figured out the right arguments and logic.  That’s not how it went down at all.  There was nothing special about me.  The Lord was telling me, “Look Adam, you only have me because I gave you myself.  That’s it.  You are not smarter than everyone else, if not for me; you’d be just as lost as those you are insulting.”

As if I needed any more, a few verses down there was an example of what a true servant of Jesus acts like, “When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;  when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.”  I felt the Lord tell my heart, “Adam, what are you doing?  Do you love me?  Or do you love being right?”  Hear that sound?  That is the sound of me being smacked upside the head by the Gospel.

I immediately got on twitter to apologize to the atheist I had sinned against.  He readily accepted the apology and apologized back, showing more Christ-like grace than I had showed him earlier.  I hope that you all can learn a lesson from my mistake.  When we engage unbelievers we really need to lean on the Lord to keep us humble and loving.   I was grateful for the reminder.

As for the atheist who tried to set me up to be mocked by his buddies, I really have to thank him.  Not only did I get a ton of people to see the site and some of its contents, but a few of the 100 comments were very positive.   Also, I can now go back and refine my argument and make it a little better, using all the negative feedback I got.  So thank you.  Lastly, if I have to be mocked by 10,000 people to possibly get a chance to introduce 1 person into the eternal kingdom of God, I will take that deal every single time.  God used you powerfully this week buddy.  God bless you and thank you.

Answering Atheist Arguments: Slavery in the Bible, Where Does God Really Stand?

So the topic of slavery in the Bible has gotten some attention from a couple of commenters on this blog and friends on Twitter.  I thought it would be good to answer in a little more depth on the issue of why slavery is not outright condemned by God in the Bible.

The primary verses in question are found in the book of Leviticus.  Leviticus 25:44-46 says:

As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you. ⁴⁵ You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their clans that are with you, who have been born in your land, and they may be your property. ⁴⁶ You may bequeath them to your sons after you to inherit as a possession forever.

So this verse shows that God allowed the Israelites to have slaves from other nations.  As I already mentioned, the vast majority of slavery in the Bible refers to a form of “indentured servitude” more similar to modern day employment than modern day slavery.  This verse, however, seems to allow for something a little more objectionable and possibly more similar to Old South slavery.  So what are we to make of this verse?  Were the pro-slavery southerners right when they used the Bible to support the atrocity of American slavery?

First of all we need to understand the purpose of the book of Leviticus to understand what these verses mean to Christians today.  The purpose of Leviticus was to show the Israelites how they could live in ritual purity as God’s special people, set apart from other nations.  It wasn’t about creating perfection on Earth; it was about God setting a standard for his people, specifically Israel.  I will say it again: Leviticus was written for Israel.  Israel has and will play an integral role in God’s salvation plan for mankind, but the law that was given to and for Israel cannot be understood to apply to Christian’s today.  When the old south slavers, and modern day bible haters, use the law in the book of Leviticus to apply to people outside of ancient Israel, they use the book of Leviticus inappropriately.

This group of verses shows that in Old Testament times God allowed the people of Israel to take slaves from foreign nations.  That is all it says.  Anyone who says that it says more than this or that it applies to us today is lying.  They are reading something into the text that is not there.  It does not say that God loves slavery.  It does not say that according to God slavery is an ideal situation.  It does not say that God approved of the brutal version of slavery, of the type practiced in antebellum South.  It says that God tolerated slavery, but put restrictions on how it could be practiced.

Throughout Leviticus we find law after law giving slaves rights, legal protection, and status that was superior to anything going on in the ancient near east at the time.  Was it ideal to be a slave in ancient Israel?  No.  But it was far better to be a slave in Israel than to be a slave anywhere else on the planet at this time.  In Israel slaves had protection, status, and a chance to buy or otherwise gain their freedom.

But a legitimate question remains.  Why would God even tolerate slavery with his chosen nation of Israel?  Why not just ban it?  This is a tough question for me to answer, but I think we get a hint straight from the mouth of the God-Man himself.

There is a scene in Matthew where the Pharisees are trying to test Jesus on the specifics of the law.  They ask him, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?”

Now the book of Deuteronomy has a set of laws pertaining to divorce.  The law is intended to protect the woman in case her husband divorces her for finding “some indecency in her”.  Jesus knows this, but his response is somewhat perplexing.  Matthew 19 shows the exchange:

And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” ⁴ He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, ⁵ and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? ⁶ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” ⁷ They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” ⁸ He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

So basically Jesus says, “No, do not divorce you wife.”  But the law says that God allows for it.  What gives Jesus?  Jesus says, “Look, the law stipulates how to handle a divorce, because you men are hard headed and will go your own way anyway.  The law is there to make the most out of a messed up situation.  In an ideal world you should never go there.” 

So what does this have to do with slavery?  I think that it is possible that laws regulating how to handle slavery are similar.  Slavery is not ideal.  The law God gives the people of Israel makes the most out of a messed up situation.  They were going to have slaves because they were hard hearted.  God’s law was set up to protect the servants from the brutality of slavery in the surrounding nations…antebellum south style slavery.

Am I just guessing about this?  Not at all.  We get another hint about God’s heart on the issue of slavery in the book of Philemon, ironically, the same small New Testament book, that Dan Savage mentions in his angry tirade.  In this book, Paul is writing a letter on behalf of the servant Onesimus, who became a Christian after wronging his master Philemon in some way.  Paul writes:

Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, ⁹ yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— ¹⁰ I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus^] whose father I became in my imprisonment. ¹¹ (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) ¹² I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. ¹³ I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, ¹⁴ but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. ¹⁵ For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, ¹⁶  no longer as a bondservant^[c] but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.  – Philemon 1:8-16

That first line is critical.  Paul could command Philemon to receive Onesimus back as a brother and not a slave.  He would rather Philemon make the right choice because his heart has changed, not because he is compelled.  It’s the same thing with divorce, Jesus wants me to not divorce my wife out of love, not because I am compelled not to.

Look, the Bible’s purpose is spiritual change in the reader.  God’s purpose is to change the hearts of people.  Compulsion, rules, laws and the like do not change hearts.  Despite what some people think, social change is not the main purpose of the Bible.  Social change comes when hearts change first.  When we learn to love God more fully we learn to love our neighbor more fully.  When we learn to love our neighbor more fully, abolitionist movements get started and social justice will become a priority.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

-2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Bible seeks to make you competent and equipped for every good work.  God blessed the Christian abolitionist movement of the Old South because they were doing what was right in His eyes.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
     to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”

-Luke 4:18

The Will of God and Dead Sparrows

I work in a large building in New York City.  The lobby has a high ceiling and large window that is the entire length of a city block on one of its sides.  Yesterday, as I was waiting for the elevator to the 25^th floor where my office is, I saw a sparrow flying around inside.  It was obviously disoriented since it had probably never been indoors before.  It caught a glimpse of the large window and made a break for it, darting quickly to make its escape.  I’m sure you know how this story ends.  It smacked the glass at full speed and fell gently to the ground where it took its last breath a few moments later.

I felt weird after I witnessed this.  I mean its just a sparrow obviously but to watch it die so suddenly threw me off for a few minutes.  It was just the uncertainty of it all.  This morning in its sparrow life was no different than any other morning, but the result was different.  It just seemed so chaotic.  I could easily “hit the glass” today, tomorrow or any given day, what does it all mean?

Later in the day, the Lord impressed something from his Word on my heart, and I felt compelled to share it on the blog.  Jesus says:

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”  - Matthew 10:29-31

The example of a sparrow is used because a sparrow was an animal of small value in Jesus’ time.  (even less so now, as I don’t know anyone who’s ever bought a sparrow)  In Luke, Jesus tells the same story except changes the values.  Instead of 2 for a penny he speaks of 5 for 2 pennies.  Spend two pennies, get one sparrow free!  Despite its small value, not a single sparrow is hatched, lives, or dies without God’s sovereign will being done in its life.  I am saying that God rendered it certain yesterday that the sparrow would run into that glass and die with me looking on.  “…not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.”

The context of this verse is Jesus sending out his disciples to preach the gospel.  He tells them that they will face extreme opposition and they should expect that certain people will hate their message.

The purpose of this saying is so that his disciples would not be afraid when they met this opposition.  God’s will is done in the life of a sparrow, how much more will His will be done in the life of you, whom he loves?  “Fear not”,  he says, “you are of more value than many sparrows”  This may seem obvious to most of us, but there are those who would disagree that humans are more valuable than sparrows.  In fact, to an atheist, there is no good reason to think that humans are anything special. They may say otherwise, even though they have no grounds to. They know better.

Are you a disciple of Jesus?  If you are, you will face opposition.  People will hate what you have to say.  They may even hate you.  The world may seem chaotic and random.  It may seem like everyone hates that you’re a Christian and they will call you names, and shout you down.  You may be afraid.  Maybe not for your life, but maybe about the friends it could cost you, or the offending you might do or other consequences it could have.  Do not worry.  His will will be done in your life.  Ask yourself:

Are you of more value than a sparrow?

Answering Atheist Arguments: "The Bible is a Radically Pro-Slavery Document!" - Dan Savage

The Reason Rally has inspired me to write a new section on my blog. Every Tuesday I plan on looking at a common atheist argument and responding to it in a quick summary to show why it doesn’t work in the argument against Christianity or the belief in God. Atheists, especially the ones I met at the Reason Rally, use a lot of strong and angry rhetoric. Quite often it is just to score a rhetorical point, but can be easily refuted. These are not arguments for Christianity; these are just simple refutations of common arguments against Jesus or the belief in God.

Dan Savage, syndicated columnist and self-proclaimed “anti-bullying” advocate , has provided me with today’s Atheist Argument.  It’s worth pointing out that his effort to curb bullying, by bullying high school students with 3 minute rant against Christianity is a great example of a core teaching of Christianity.  No matter how low we set our ethical standard, we still are utterly incapable of following it.  There is something terribly wrong with all of us.  In this case all he had to do was not bully the young people he was hired to talk to about not bullying to.  He couldn’t even last 20 minutes.

“as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one.”  - Romans 3:10

But that is not what I want to address.  In his little tirade, he used a common tactic to undermine the credibility of the Bible.  This tactic is popular with atheists because its easy to state.  It is also easy to refute.  Here are his words:

“The Bible is a radically pro slavery document….The Bible took the easiest moral question humanity has ever faced, and got it wrong.  What are the chances that it has something as complicated as human sexuality wrong?  100%.”

The argument is that the Bible is pro slavery, so we cannot trust it at all.  But is the Bible pro-slavery?  He would like to think so.  As evidence he refers to old American southerners, using the Bible to defend the practice.  He also refers to the book of Philemon, a letter from Paul, written to a Christian “master” about a slave.

The first evidence attempts to create a false dichotomy.  The idea he wants us to follow is the southern Christians were all pro-slavery until heroic secularists came and saved the day, putting an end to slavery.  This is a cute story but it is false.  The facts are that almost across the board it was Christians responsible for abolitionist movements.  The pro-slavery southerners were misusing the Bible to promote their agenda, ironically in the same exact way that Dan Savage is.  In our story, Dan is the Southerner, using the Bible to promote something that helps him, not necessarily what it actually says.

The fact is that the Bible in no way promotes slavery as it was practiced in the American South.  This is a case of modern readers accidently adding their cultural biases when reading the text.  We think slavery and we immediately think racism, kidnapping, brutal treatment and slavery for life, all for the benefit of the slave owners.

Slavery in the old and new testaments was not like this.  Firstly, when a person became a slave, it was often times a voluntary move.  Someone would become poor and be unable to pay their debts.  In order to pay debts back, they would become servants and work for their debtors for a set period of time.  It was more similar to modern day employment than to modern day slavery.  Really, it was indentured servant hood.   Second, race did not play a factor at all.  In fact, much of the law concerning “slavery” in Israel was talking about people of the same race.  Third, the conditions that the “slaves” lived in were often times indistinguishable from that of a free person.  Their wages were the same, the living quarters were the same, their food was the same etc.   Lastly, when the period slaves were to work (usually 6 years) was over, often times they would choose to stay with their employers.  If they chose not to, the  “masters” were to give them liberal amounts of stuff to get started out on their own (cattle, equipment, wine etc.).  Slavery in the Bible was more analogous to employment today than anything else.  It was often engaged in for the benefit of the servant, not the other way around.

This description of slavery in the time Paul wrote should make it clear by now that Southerners in the time of American slavery were ignorant in using the Bible to defend what they were doing. They should have known better.  They were accidently or purposely misusing the Bible to fit their agenda.

Are the atheists that use this argument accidently misinterpreting scripture, or do they have an agenda?  My judgment of Dan Savage is that he probably doesn’t know what scripture teaches on slavery, but he probably doesn’t care either.   He has a sound bite that sounds good and he has an agenda.  It doesn’t matter whether it’s true or not to him.  This kind of rhetoric may get raucous applause from those who share his agenda, but if we know what the Bible teaches we can respond to it.