I have two older brothers. They are both athiests, so I emailed recently asking why they didn't believe in God, and this is what one of them said, copied and pasted directly from his email:
1. Death, disease, war, famine, rape, child abuse, poverty, nuclear weapons, torture, genocide, natural disasters, and on and on. An omnipotent being, who could stop it all in the blink of an eye, especially when it's happening to his "children," but doesn't? Why? And don't give me the standard "god works in mysterious ways," nothing justifies any of this. Which brings me to my next point...
2. The existence of god provides no meaning of life. One of the major running themes in the bible (especially the old testament) is the concept that god regularly tests our faith. Therefore, we are all here on Earth to prove our worthiness to enter heaven. But of course, an omniscient being knows every single thing that happens, has happened, and ever will happen. God knows every decision we'll ever make a million years before we are born. So what possible need could he have to test anyone, ever? Of what value is a test when you already have the answer key?
3. Since you are very well read in Christianity, I'm going to assume you're familiar with the concept of intelligent design. As you also know, I studied evolutionary theory extensively for five years, and the two ideas conflict with each other. The main argument of those who support intelligent design theory seems to be that the complexity of life on this planet requires a conscious, guiding hand. After all, it couldn't possibly have happened by accident, right? I take the exact opposite position. Organic life on Earth is so massively, ludicrously, needlessly complex that it could only have happened by accident! Consider the game Mousetrap. The entire point of that game is to take arguably the simplest invention in the history of man and make it laughably overcomplicated. It's fun because it's ridiculous. However, life on Earth in its current form requires us to accept the idea that a deity infinitely wiser than ourselves managed to create the game version of a mousetrap, without the design of an actual, simple, effective mousetrap ever occurring to him.
I replied back yesterday, again straight from what I told him:
1. - No one is innocent. Everyone has sinned (disobeyed God's commands). Some may have sinned more than others, but we are still all sinners and the consequence of even one sin is death. When God first created the world, there was no death or pain. It only entered the world when people sinned. God doesn't stop it because He gave people free will: He gave them the choice to obey or disobey Him, warning that sin results in death. Because people did choose to disobey Him, He allowed them to suffer the consequences. It really isn't God's fault that there is so much pain in the world. In reality, it is ours; it is the fault of every human being who has ever lived. (except Jesus) Nevertheless, God is loving, which is why He came up with a solution to end the pain caused by our sin.
- Jesus suffered more than anyone who has ever lived. I have studied execution methods extensively and I will testify to anyone that crucifixion (especially the way the Romans did it) is indeed the most painful method of execution ever invented. Cicero, a Roman leader, has said that crucifixion is "one of the most abominable torments that the very inventive genius of torture has devised". That is not all, He was also whipped and severely beaten multiple times. He was also, as we all know, betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, which at the time, was about the price of a slave. If you would like to know in more detail what He suffered, try any of the following:
http://www.cbn.com/SpiritualLife/On..._View_of_the_Crucifixion_of_Jesus_Christ.aspx
http://christiananswers.net/q-eden/jesusdeath.html
http://www.frugalsites.net/jesus/crucifixion.htm
By the way, Jesus was the one and only person who never ever sinned!
- God did something to end suffering. The reason Jesus, who never sinned, suffered so much was to end suffering for US! We are like criminals condemned to death and the only way to escape death is if someone else died for you, or we owe a large sum of money, and Jesus paid our debts so we wouldn't be thrown into debtor's prison. At this point, you are probably asking why people who have accepted Jesus' free gift of forgiveness still suffer. I will get to that in a few minutes, in the next section.
2. - God desires a relationship with people. The Bible says how man and God walked together in the Garden of Eden. That is life's purpose: to have a relationship with God. When people sinned, the relationship was broken and they were separated from God. Therefore, Jesus died to pay the price for sin so we could be close to God like He wants. That is the concept of a new creation after the end and judgement of the world. God will make everything new so that there will be no more pain or death and people will never again be separated from God. Even now, if you accept Jesus' forgiveness, you can have God as your friend and father.
- God tests us for OUR benefit. You present a decent point that I admit has puzzled me at times. I have wondered why God would test our faith if He knows what will happen anyway. But now, after prayer and thought, I think I have an answer. God's testing is more for us than it is for Him. I know this sounds weird at first, but Paul put it well in the book of Romans: "We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope." It often doesn't seem like it, but perhaps God tests people to strengthen them and produce hope. It may hurt a lot in the midst of suffering, but in the end, it was really for our own good all along. This ties into why Jesus' followers suffer. It is to strengthen our faith in Him.
3. - God's thoughts are higher than ours. I am actually glad you brought this up again because I came up with an answer I didn't think of when were debating at Olive Garden. Since God is infinitely smarter (He knows everything!) than any human, perhaps this is simple to Him. A marble looks huge to an ant, but small to us. Chemistry was hard for me when I studied this past year, but it what I did probably seems quite simple to an expert chemist. In a way, it's all about perspective. The human body and all of the universe seems so amazing and complex, but maybe it looks kind of like a basic mousetrap to an infinitely knowledgeable Creator.
- God will do what He pleases. Since God is all-powerful, He can do whatever He wants. There is a reason He made Creation this way. Maybe He was just being creative, like an artist. For example, if a teacher assigns a simple write something and put it on a poster project and means it to be basic. There's probably always going to be someone who likes to add glitter, images, marker, fancy fonts, a creative format, beads, etc. I know that no analogy is perfect, but the point is that another theory is that God was been creative because He wanted to. After all, artistic people got that sense from Him, since people are made in God's image. I know you probably don't believe this, and I kind of prefer my first theory anyway, but I think it could be worth considering.
I hope this helps anyone else who has unbelieving family and friends. Some of their questions are hard to answer, and I hope you will be encouraged by this. Please pray for my brothers, that I continue giving good answers in emails and pray that they would come to Jesus. Please comment! Let me know what you think of my reply and tell me about who know that doesn't believe and I will pray for them with you! Have a blessed day everyone!
1. Death, disease, war, famine, rape, child abuse, poverty, nuclear weapons, torture, genocide, natural disasters, and on and on. An omnipotent being, who could stop it all in the blink of an eye, especially when it's happening to his "children," but doesn't? Why? And don't give me the standard "god works in mysterious ways," nothing justifies any of this. Which brings me to my next point...
2. The existence of god provides no meaning of life. One of the major running themes in the bible (especially the old testament) is the concept that god regularly tests our faith. Therefore, we are all here on Earth to prove our worthiness to enter heaven. But of course, an omniscient being knows every single thing that happens, has happened, and ever will happen. God knows every decision we'll ever make a million years before we are born. So what possible need could he have to test anyone, ever? Of what value is a test when you already have the answer key?
3. Since you are very well read in Christianity, I'm going to assume you're familiar with the concept of intelligent design. As you also know, I studied evolutionary theory extensively for five years, and the two ideas conflict with each other. The main argument of those who support intelligent design theory seems to be that the complexity of life on this planet requires a conscious, guiding hand. After all, it couldn't possibly have happened by accident, right? I take the exact opposite position. Organic life on Earth is so massively, ludicrously, needlessly complex that it could only have happened by accident! Consider the game Mousetrap. The entire point of that game is to take arguably the simplest invention in the history of man and make it laughably overcomplicated. It's fun because it's ridiculous. However, life on Earth in its current form requires us to accept the idea that a deity infinitely wiser than ourselves managed to create the game version of a mousetrap, without the design of an actual, simple, effective mousetrap ever occurring to him.
I replied back yesterday, again straight from what I told him:
1. - No one is innocent. Everyone has sinned (disobeyed God's commands). Some may have sinned more than others, but we are still all sinners and the consequence of even one sin is death. When God first created the world, there was no death or pain. It only entered the world when people sinned. God doesn't stop it because He gave people free will: He gave them the choice to obey or disobey Him, warning that sin results in death. Because people did choose to disobey Him, He allowed them to suffer the consequences. It really isn't God's fault that there is so much pain in the world. In reality, it is ours; it is the fault of every human being who has ever lived. (except Jesus) Nevertheless, God is loving, which is why He came up with a solution to end the pain caused by our sin.
- Jesus suffered more than anyone who has ever lived. I have studied execution methods extensively and I will testify to anyone that crucifixion (especially the way the Romans did it) is indeed the most painful method of execution ever invented. Cicero, a Roman leader, has said that crucifixion is "one of the most abominable torments that the very inventive genius of torture has devised". That is not all, He was also whipped and severely beaten multiple times. He was also, as we all know, betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, which at the time, was about the price of a slave. If you would like to know in more detail what He suffered, try any of the following:
http://www.cbn.com/SpiritualLife/On..._View_of_the_Crucifixion_of_Jesus_Christ.aspx
http://christiananswers.net/q-eden/jesusdeath.html
http://www.frugalsites.net/jesus/crucifixion.htm
By the way, Jesus was the one and only person who never ever sinned!
- God did something to end suffering. The reason Jesus, who never sinned, suffered so much was to end suffering for US! We are like criminals condemned to death and the only way to escape death is if someone else died for you, or we owe a large sum of money, and Jesus paid our debts so we wouldn't be thrown into debtor's prison. At this point, you are probably asking why people who have accepted Jesus' free gift of forgiveness still suffer. I will get to that in a few minutes, in the next section.
2. - God desires a relationship with people. The Bible says how man and God walked together in the Garden of Eden. That is life's purpose: to have a relationship with God. When people sinned, the relationship was broken and they were separated from God. Therefore, Jesus died to pay the price for sin so we could be close to God like He wants. That is the concept of a new creation after the end and judgement of the world. God will make everything new so that there will be no more pain or death and people will never again be separated from God. Even now, if you accept Jesus' forgiveness, you can have God as your friend and father.
- God tests us for OUR benefit. You present a decent point that I admit has puzzled me at times. I have wondered why God would test our faith if He knows what will happen anyway. But now, after prayer and thought, I think I have an answer. God's testing is more for us than it is for Him. I know this sounds weird at first, but Paul put it well in the book of Romans: "We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope." It often doesn't seem like it, but perhaps God tests people to strengthen them and produce hope. It may hurt a lot in the midst of suffering, but in the end, it was really for our own good all along. This ties into why Jesus' followers suffer. It is to strengthen our faith in Him.
3. - God's thoughts are higher than ours. I am actually glad you brought this up again because I came up with an answer I didn't think of when were debating at Olive Garden. Since God is infinitely smarter (He knows everything!) than any human, perhaps this is simple to Him. A marble looks huge to an ant, but small to us. Chemistry was hard for me when I studied this past year, but it what I did probably seems quite simple to an expert chemist. In a way, it's all about perspective. The human body and all of the universe seems so amazing and complex, but maybe it looks kind of like a basic mousetrap to an infinitely knowledgeable Creator.
- God will do what He pleases. Since God is all-powerful, He can do whatever He wants. There is a reason He made Creation this way. Maybe He was just being creative, like an artist. For example, if a teacher assigns a simple write something and put it on a poster project and means it to be basic. There's probably always going to be someone who likes to add glitter, images, marker, fancy fonts, a creative format, beads, etc. I know that no analogy is perfect, but the point is that another theory is that God was been creative because He wanted to. After all, artistic people got that sense from Him, since people are made in God's image. I know you probably don't believe this, and I kind of prefer my first theory anyway, but I think it could be worth considering.
I hope this helps anyone else who has unbelieving family and friends. Some of their questions are hard to answer, and I hope you will be encouraged by this. Please pray for my brothers, that I continue giving good answers in emails and pray that they would come to Jesus. Please comment! Let me know what you think of my reply and tell me about who know that doesn't believe and I will pray for them with you! Have a blessed day everyone!
