A Friendly Atheist Has 78 Questions for Christians: Part 3

In Hemant Mehta's video, 78 Questions for Christians, he asked several questions concerning the truth of Christianity – especially when compared to other religions. We'll discuss these in this post.

28) If a group of people came from, say, Africa, came to your community with the intent to convert you to their tribal faith, would you listen to them and take them seriously or would you just dismiss them because they don't believe what you already believe?

34) What do you say to Muslims who believe the Quran is the Holy Book?

35) Are they wrong?

36) Have you read the Quran?

37) And why do you so easily dismiss their Holy Book?

38) And then why do you get upset at atheists who dismiss yours?

I believe in God, I believe in Jesus, and I believe the Bible. I believe these things for the same reasons I believe anything – I think they're real, true, and correct. Of course, I wasn't always a Christian and I didn't always believe the Bible. From a starting point of doubt and skepticism, I sought answers and became convinced that God is real and the Bible is true.

It's not possible here to cite everything that convinced me to become a Christian. I've written before about five, quick arguments for the existence of God. I believe the crux of those is point 4 – the historical fact of Jesus. The Bible is not like other books of religion. It was written over hundreds of years by dozens of people. Jesus had a very public ministry. He spoke to crowds, performed miracles, died publicly, and appeared alive again to hundreds of people. His words and miracles were recorded by eyewitnesses and the veracity of the New Testament far surpasses any other book of antiquity.

I simply cannot examine every religion in the world. Nevertheless, they all have their chance in the arena of ideas. Anyone who claims to have the truth, I will listen to him. How do his claims compare to the Bible? To whom did his revelation come – to one or to many? Is there archaeological and scientific evidence? Is there historical evidence? What is the provenance of his religious book?

Truth is exclusive. All world religions could be wrong but they can't all be right. Still, there is far more reason to believe the Bible than any other claim to the truth.

23) Is there anything in your life right now that makes you doubt God's existence?

24) If you did doubt God's existence, how would your life change?

This question is vague. Is Mehta asking if I could doubt the existence of Yahweh or of any god? I know Yahweh lives but, if something could ever make me doubt that, I still wouldn't stop believing in an eternal, supernatural, personal creator of the universe. If I believed there was no god, I would be a fool.

61) What would it take to change your mind about God's existence?

62) Do you think it's a little strange when someone says they're going to believe in something no matter what, even when all the evidence seems to point to the other direction?

Atheists play word games. For example, they often say that atheism isn't a belief there's no god but rather a lack of belief in God. It's a subtle difference but they say this to avoid the logical fallacy of asserting a universal negative. But here, Mehta is saying that “all the evidence seems to point to the other direction” of there being a God. Really, Mehta? “All” the evidence? I have yet to hear any evidence for atheism.

I've written before that some atheists proudly boast that their fundamental argument is a lack of the evidence for God. If atheists want to say they aren't convinced by the evidence for God, then that's a different story. But let's be clear here: there is no evidence that God doesn't exist.

65) Why are there so many Christian denominations?

66) And are the people who are in those different denominations bad Christians? Are they wrong?

67) Which denomination is right?

68) Or which group of denominations is right?

We talked about this a little in my community group at Church a few weeks ago. There, I said that Catholics aren't Christians. Baptists aren't Christians. Only Christians are Christians!

Different denominations doesn't always mean different beliefs. Sometimes, denominations simply represent how Christians have chosen to organize and govern themselves. For example, one group of Christians might assemble into one, large, organization where each community is just a local branch of the larger organization. Another denomination might be made up of independent, local churches where each community is autonomous.

Of course, a denomination can sometimes be identified by certain practices in its services. Different people have different views on things like the use of instruments in their music, if they should pay their pastors, do they take up offerings, how to ordain pastors or deacons, how to support missionaries, etc. Many of these different practices have no bearing on the gospel or what is required for salvation. In that case, there are no right or wrong denominations – only differences.

There are some groups, though, that might be called “denominations” but aren't Christian. Jehovah's Witnesses and the LDS are examples. These types of groups claim to believe in Jesus but they have a different understanding of who Jesus is. They believe in some other Jesus, not the Person described in the Bible.

73) Do you think it's just a coincidence that different religions are popular in different parts of the world?

74) Do you believe that if you were born in Saudi Arabia, you would be a Muslim rather than a Christian?

75) Is it possible that religion has less to do with what's true and more to do with the circumstances of where and when you were born?

I'm not sure how relevant the question is. Of course we're products of our culture. If I were born in Japan, I would probably speak Japanese, right? But how would that make Shinto or Buddhism true and Christianity false? If I were home schooled and only taught creationism, would that make creation true? If I were educated in public schools and only taught evolution, does that make evolution true? The truth exists regardless of what different people in different places believe.

There are different people in different parts of the world that don't have the truth. Jesus has commanded, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Preach and teach. That's the job of every Christian.

A Friendly Atheist Has 78 Questions for Christians: Part 2

Hemant Mehta describes himself as a friendly atheist. In his video, 78 Questions for Christians, he groups the questions according to subject. The first section dealt with heaven and hell. The next section deals with prayer. I've numbered the questions according to how Mehta numbered them but I've rearranged them in my answer.

10) Whose prayers does God answer?

11) And if it's ultimately God's will what happens, why even bother praying?

We can see from the questions that Mehta has a very rudimentary understanding of what prayer is. For example, what does it mean for God to “answer” a prayer? Judging by the Mehta's list of questions about prayer, Mehta certainly believes “prayer” means “asking God for things” and “answered prayer” means “God gives you what you ask.” I could paraphrase the two questions above as:

Who gets what he asks?

If nobody gets what he asks, why even bother praying?

It sounds a little shallow when I phrase it like that, doesn't it? That's because it is shallow. Mehta has caste God as a year 'round Santa Claus and, every day, we get to tell Him what we want in our stocking. Just think about this: what kind of relationship would you have with your child if he only ever talked to you when he wanted something? And if you didn't do everything he asks, he would stop talking to you? If my children were like that, I'd be both very hurt and very angry. Yet this is apparently how Mehta thinks our relationship with God should be. I've written about this before, people have a false idea of who God is, then claim He must not exist because they can't find a god who acts like they imagined.

Jesus gave His disciples a model of prayer, often called the Lord's Prayer. He said, “Pray like this....” If you examine the prayer, you'll see that includes things like acknowledging God as our Father, praising Him, desiring His will to be done, and asking Him to forgive our sins and keep us away from temptations. Of course, we do also ask Him to help meet our needs – our “daily bread” - but Metha seems to think that's all prayer is.

Have you ever heard the child's prayer of grace? “God is great, God is good. Thank you, Lord, for this food.” What a wonderful prayer! Praise – thanksgiving – adoration – all presented in a few simple words. If all Christians prayed like this – praising God, seeking His will, asking for forgiveness and seeking His guidance – then revival would break out in America.

James 4:3 says, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” I know I'm not a model Christian so I can't say my prayer life is where it should be. But if I spent all my prayer time telling God what I want Him to do for me, I would feel more spoiled than edified. Unfortunately, too many Christians spend their prayer time focusing more on themselves than God.

8) If your son or daughter were dying – and I hope that never happens – would you just pray for them or would you take them to a doctor?

9) And if you say you'd do both, which one do you think has more of an impact?

Unfortunately, my son and daughter are dying. My step sons are dying, too. My wife is dying. My mother and siblings are dying. My wife's family is dying. I'm dying. Everyone reading my blog is dying. Romans 5:12 says, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” It's not a question of if you're dying – it's only a question of when. And, yes, prayer is THE most important thing I can do for my children, my spouse, my family, and my readers – especially if death is imminent. It's my prayer that they will all seek Christ, ask for His forgiveness, accept Him as their Lord, and be saved.

If my child were sick or hurt, yes, I'd take him to the doctor. I would pray that God would help him recover, that He would give the doctors and nurses wisdom, that He would give my son comfort, and give me peace. Above all this, though, I pray that my son comes to Christ. Let's face it, doctors can't stave off death forever. One day death will claim everyone I love and, at that time, all the doctors in the world are useless. But if my prayers have been answered, then they will have had an infinitely greater impact.

12) If you have cancer right now, what's going to help you more: drugs or prayer?

13) Let's say you have an amputated limb. Would prayer ever bring it back?

Several years ago, I wrote a series in response to the video, “Why Won't God Heal Amputees?” Certainly, Jesus is able to heal us. Luke 22:50-51 tells us that Jesus healed the ear of Malchus after Peter had cut it off with a sword so I know that Jesus is able to heal even a severed limb. It's just that I don't expect Him to miraculously heal people today like He did during His ministry.

Jesus overtly said that He did miracles to demonstrate His authority. In Mark 2:1-12, Jesus healed a paralyzed man to prove He had the authority to forgive sins. In John 11, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead to show Martha that He is the resurrection and the life. When Jesus appointed His disciples, He gave them the ability to perform miracles including healing the sick and raising the dead (Matthew 10:7-8). This was to show their authority to preach in God's name. But now we have the Scriptures to evidence His authority and the need for miracles has passed.

Jesus has promised us an eternity where there is no more pain or sorrow or death but paradise is not on this earth nor in these bodies. This is a cursed world where there is sickness and disease. Does Metha think we should be able to pray and no one should ever die or even get sick? I guess he does. Like I said, he has a very rudimentary understanding of prayer.

16) If you had an exam coming up, what do you think would help you more: prayer or studying for the test?

Heck, why even bother with school – or even a job? I could just stay home and pray that God mails me a paycheck! Really, Metha? God never commanded us to do nothing. In fact, He condemns laziness. Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” We should strive to be the hardest workers, the best students, the friendliest neighbors, etc. And, yes, we should seek God's help while doing this. There's an old saying that says we should work like it depends on us and pray like it depends on Him!

18) What matters to God more: the quantity of prayers or the quality of prayers?

19) If it's the quantity that matters, how come the most popular team doesn't always win the Super Bowl?

20) And if it's the quality that matters, how come people we really love, people who are close to us, how come they die no matter what we say to God?

21) Is it possible that your prayers have no supernatural effect and only serve to make you feel better?

22) And if that were true, would you ever admit it?

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “pray without ceasing.” If you were to walk through the mall with your spouse or drive down the road with your child, wouldn't you talk to them? Well, we're never truly alone because God is always with us so I try to talk to God just like that – like He's sitting there next to me. I tell Him I love Him. I thank Him for all He does for me. I tell Him about things I struggle with and ask for His guidance.

I believe that, as we draw closer to God, His will becomes our will. When that happens, we worry less about how things affect us. When things are going well, some Christians will say, “God is blessing me.” When things aren't going well, some Christians will say, “God is testing me.” I think if we prayed like we should, more Christians would start to say, “It's not about me.”

Lord, help my team win the Super Bowl. Don't let anyone in my family get sick or die. That's how a 5-year-old prays.

O Lord, I come to You with praise. You alone are good. You alone are worthy to be worshiped. Let me know Your will and give me the strength to be obedient. Forgive my sins and let me rest in Your mercies. Let me trust in You for everything I need and let my thanksgiving never end! Amen! These are the kinds of prayers that get answered!

We don't have a gun problem, we have a sin problem!

I'm taking a break from my series to make a few comments about the shooting in Las Vegas. First, I join with the millions who are praying for the victims. I pray for the families of those who were killed and I pray for speedy recoveries for all those who were injured.

After a tragedy, there is, of course, a time of grief and confusion. People struggle to understand what caused this and seek some way to prevent anything like this from happening again. As usual, even before the sun had set on the tragedy, many on the left were saying guns are the problem.

I must say, I can see the lure of wanting to ban guns. It seems to be such a simple solution: take away all the guns and there can be no more gun crime. The reality of a ban, though, is far from simple. Think about Prohibition, when we tried to ban alcohol. How did that go?

We can always pass more laws, hire more police, build more prisons, and give up more liberties. We could live in a police state. Even then, though, there would still be brutal men who steal, rape, and kill. It's what people do. It's part of our fallen condition – our sin nature.

Robert Charles Winthrop said, “Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled, either by a power within them, or by a power without them; either by the word of God, or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible, or by the bayonet.”

If men lived only according to their passions, there is no police force great enough to restrain them.  We don't have a gun problem, we have a sin problem. I would like to see less calls for stricter laws and more prayers for revival!

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

Please, Lord, let it be! Amen!