Our new series addressing problems with belief in God got off to a great start this past weekend at La Croix. Not only did we have a huge crowd to start off the New Year, 64 people responded to our invitation to turn in questions. Considering there was no advance warning and little time to write anything, that’s an impressive response.
We’ll attempt to group the most-asked questions, answering specific questions that are representative of the whole. Five La Croix staffers will take turns posting and we promise to check the comments regularly, responding to comments if necessary. Here goes…
A: This question is a good starting point since it helps us define terms. The Greek word for God is “theos.” A “theist” is a person who believes in God or gods. Put “a” in front of it and it negates it; thus, an “atheist” doesn’t believe in God or any divine being. “Gnosis,” the Greek word for knowing, with an “a” prefix becomes “unknown.” An agnostic doesn’t claim to know if there is a God or not. Sometimes it’s because they personally haven’t come to a conclusion; other agnostics say it’s impossible for anyone to know.
4 comments:
So what's a good way to reach an agnostic with the message about Christ? My boss is an agnostic, and I haven't been sure how to handle sharing my faith with her. I know people are all different, but are there particular arguments that agnostics have against Christianity that I should be prepared for? Are there particular scripture that would be effective to share with an agnostic?
The best way to reach anyone, whether they consider themselves agnostic or simply disinterested, is through a relationship. Listen. Care. "Be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within you." You probably won't debate her into being a Christian. If she asks questions, give a thoughtful answer (which might mean you say, "I don't know, but I'll try to find out."). Invite her to church; this series is ideal.
This topic is right up my alley. As an atheist, I'm not sure there is anything you could say to me that would change my mind. I love debate though -- obviously, I'm here.
I think the question to ask is, “why are you an agnostic.” This will tell you whether you have a chance to convert the person or not. In my opinion agnostics haven't put any effort in trying to find God (I’m using my own limited experience to make that assumption). That is why they don't know whether He exists or not.
I can't speak for other atheists but I lost my faith by searching for God. It's a very long story which I'm not sure I'm interested in sharing all the details of. In the end it came down to could I trust that the bible was the inspired word of God or not; this, after more than 10 adult years reading the bible, praying, questioning theologians, etc.
Believing in God is about faith. In my reading on the subject, and I have read quite a bit on it, I have determined that when you debate the particular points of the bible or Jesus' life or any other aspect of Christianity (I've never debated a non-Christian) and thereby (forgive the liberty) glean the truth of the point what one is left with is faith. Did Jesus exist? There is no direct evidence he did. Does it matter that there is no evidence? Nope, because you have faith. As condescending as that might sound I don’t mean it to sound that way. I’m not writing this to start a discussion on the physical existence of Jesus on the earth. I’m just using it as an example of some point that could be debated and result in the atheist being positive he is right and the Christian being positive he is.
Many Christians cherry pick verses from the bible to argue a particular position. This works well unless you are debating a person who knows the bible. I think most atheists are very familiar with much of the bible; only my opinion. I live in Georgia and I think I'm the only one here.
Don’t try this with me. I’ll research and you better not lie about it or even be mistaken. As a rule, I don’t trust people trying to convert me to 1) know the bible, 2) be honest about what the original meaning was, 3) be open minded that they may be wrong. I would have to say that the owners of this blog are a welcome exception to my previous experiences. That is the only reason your hook is in my mouth.
I will be happy to go on and explain the personal reward of being an atheist if you want me to, but I don’t want to do anything to sway people to my point of view. To the contrary, I would rather you win me over. Many people are happy because of their faith and I respect that. Many other people are bent on making my point of view illegal and I will do whatever I have to to prevent them from achieving their goal. Atheists have a lot to offer society. Not because they are atheists but because many atheist are good people even by your standards. For example, I have been married to the same woman for 25 years and have never cheated on her. That may not sound all that impressive to you but I’ll add that I was in the military where the culture supports infidelity; “what goes TDY stays TDY.” I did two tours in Korea where I was separated from my family for a year each time. I retired from the Air Force after 21 years because they weren’t honest enough for me. I could not stand the hypocrisy any longer, and it broke my heart to leave. I do drink from time to time, which I think makes the not cheating thing even more impressive. LOL All in all I have basically the same values that you do. I’ll admit that I probably got them from my quasi-religious upbringing but I could make an argument to the contrary. For example, both my Korea tours were after I lost my faith.
I have Christian friends who think, because I’m more moral than most, God is not finished with me or I must really be a Christian and not know it (I don’t understand that argument.) They can’t accept that maybe I just made a decision that being faithful and telling the truth were in my best interest. I will admit that along with some bad stuff, the value of loving your neighbor and do unto others is pure poetry and are statements of truth about the human condition.
I guess I’ll end here. I look forward to any responses. I do not like to be insulted though and other than denying your faith I will not insult you. I also don’t mean my denial of your faith to be insulting; it’s merely a statement of fact for me.
Respectfully,
Terry
Terry: It's late and I'm on the road and won't be able to respond until about Wednesday night, but I want to respond to your fine comments. I admire your honesty and heartfelt convictions. Just one quick response: I'm sorry that you've ever felt devalued because of your beliefs or lack thereof. As a Christian I believe you have a lot to offer society simply because you are. You have value because you are a sacred creation, made in God's image. I know you don't believe that, but I just want to say sorry for those of my faith who haven't believed that about you. And, I'm glad you're contributing to this blog! And, yes, you must feel lonely being an atheist in Georgia!
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