I was talking to some atheists the other day and several questions came up. Most of them were straight out attacks on Christianity. This is fine. One of the things that I remind myself of is the definition of atheism. Atheists aren’t “unbelievers.” Atheists are “not yet believers.”
How are atheists going to get closer to the realization of God unless Christians take the time to address their questions? When some one challenges your faith, do not respond in anger. Here is my favorite verse in the bible:
1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts set apart 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,
Be ready to have an answer, and answer with gentleness. This isn’t always easy, and there are times where the other person is just ranting and makes no sense. There is really nothing you can do in that case, but walk away. But if some one is presenting their issues with you, you need to step up and give them an answer.
Here is a very brief, very simplistic atheist problem with the bible. Atheists are obsessed with contradictions. I was asked the following about the bible:
“In Matthew, the angel appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him that Mary’s child will save his people from their sins. In Luke, the angel tells Mary that her son will be great, he will be called the Son of the Most High and will rule on David’s throne forever. A short time later Mary tells Elizabeth that all generations will consider her (Mary) blessed because of the child that will be born to her.
If this were true, Mary and Joseph should have had the highest regard for their son. Instead, we read in Mark 3:20-21 that Jesus’ family tried to take custody of him because they thought he had lost his mind.”
My response was:
Mark 3:20 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” is talking about Jesus’ friends. All those people named in the preceding verses are his disciples and acquaintances. This is NOT his immediate family thinking he has “lost his mind”, or more literally, “took his ministry to far, as in Zeal”
How can I conclude that these were his friends and not his immediate family? Well, 10 verses later in Mark 3:31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him, the bible refers directly to Jesus’ brothers and mother. In being consistent, the same language would have been used in both verses, but it wasn’t. In verse 31, the bible calls out Jesus’ immediate family as Mother and brothers. This means that verse 21 is talking about Jesus’ friends and associates. Then there is the Greek translation, but at the request by a fellow facebook friend, I will not go that deep…this time.
So you see, there is no contradiction here when you put the bible into context. Keep in mind that this is about as simple as it gets. If you do not have an answer, find the answer. It is our jobs as Christians to seek out the truth and present it to others so we can “give an answer for the hope that is in us.