2/26/15

That Pesky Friendly Atheist Just Debunked Christianity - Part 3

This will be the final installment in a three part series regarding a video posted by Mr. Hemant Mehta (AKA the Friendly Atheist) on youtube. This is the video:

Now what has become apparent to me is that Mr. Mehta is definitely being a bit sarcastic in this video. He's actually a pretty smart dude. That being said, these questions he is asking are much of the same tripe I have actually heard from atheists in the past. So, while he certainly is being sarcastic, there are many underlying truths in his questions, insofar as that these are real challenges that atheists erect against Christianity. In the first two posts, I briefly addressed questions #1-45 in the video.

46. Why is God playing hide and seek with all of humanity?

He has not and is not. Jesus came into history as a man. The evidence of His existence is irrefutable, despite anti-Christians attempts to discredit it 2000 years after the fact. But I'm not going to bite on the whole "He changed my life" argument. Just like the atheist, I don't think that one holds up. But the fact that creation exists should be enough, even to the scientific mind. There are these things called the laws of physics, and yeah, they plainly state that something cannot come from nothing. Yes, I know there have been attempts to prove this is not the case lately, but sorry, redefining a quantum vacuum as nothing won't fly around here, and it shouldn't fly to any honest scientist.

47. Do you believe that Jesus is coming back to earth during your lifetime?

That's a completely irrelevant question. No one knows the day or the hour. He'll come back someday, but those who think it will be this day or that day and make predictions are guilty of major wrecking of what the Bible actually says on the matter.

48. If you do, what do you say to all those people who have been saying the same thing for centuries and are no longer with us?

They're wrong. And they were wrong for speculating.

49. Why is the story of Jesus' birth and life so similar to mythological figures who lived before His time?

It's not. Sure, you can find one overlapped thing here and there. But you can find way more overlapped things between the life of Hitler and Mr. Mehta (how is that for a reduction ad hitlerum? hey, Mr. Mehta did it in a later question. Fair is fair). This tactic is just another dishonest attack to discredit the uniqueness of Christ.

50. How do you decide which sections of the bible are literally true and which ones are just metaphorical?

It's really pretty easy. There are historical books and didactic (teaching) books. And there are also highly symbolic books (Revelation, anyone?). Then again, I see the point here, because many Christians get this incorrect. But that is not an argument against Scripture or Christianity. It's an argument against people. And it actually supports what Scripture says on the topic, that people are fallible sinners. Imagine that.

51. What are the minimum requirements for being a Christian?

Well, I'll go with the Gospel According to St. Mark, the 16th chapter. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved." Granted, there are some nuances there. If a person believed in a false Christ who is not God incarnate, for instance. But it's not that tough. Mr. Mehta wants us to base it on works which seems to be what his understanding of Christianity is.

52. And who falls under that definition?

St. Mark, the 16th chapter.

53. Fred Phelps? 54. Pat Robertson? 55. James Dobson? 56. President Obama?

53. Don't know. 54. Don't know. 55. Yes. Dobson is mainly orthodox and Trinitarian in his beliefs. But ultimately, still don't know. 56. Don't know.

57. Do you really believe Mary was impregnated without ever having sex?

Yes. If God does exist, there is no problem here. Likewise, Christ proved over and over again His divinity.

58. If someone came up to you and said she was pregnant but she was totally a virgin, would you believe her?

No, and I would not have believed Mary either at the time. Of course, Christ proved all that true time and time again.

59. Why did God have to rape a teenage girl in order to become human?

And heeeeeerrrrrreeeee is the 21st century postmodernist shock tactic. And likewise, if you actually read the Scriptures, St. Mary consented to this.

60. If you could go back in time to when Jesus was crucified, would you try to save Him, or would you stand back and do nothing because your entire faith depends on Him being crucified?

Of course I would try to get Him off and save Him. But God's ways are a lot wiser than mine. In weakness, God is most strong. Through that weakness, He saves the whole world. But this is once again irrelevant. I wasn't there.

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

Prove to me that the laws of physics are changeable and are not really laws, and something can indeed come from nothing. This would prove that scientific laws don't really exist and nature is not uniform and orderly. If it is uniform and orderly, the only logical conclusion is that there is a law-giver. You cannot have order and uniformity from nothing. Nothing is quite as irrational as that.

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 points in the other direction?

A little strange? No, it's not a little strange. It's downright silly. This is precisely why I think it's downright silly to be an atheist. The evidence most certainly does not point to that.

63. What is something your pastor has said in church that you totally disagree with?

I can't think of anything off the top of my head, but I know it has happened in local churches I have attended in the past.

64. And when that happened, did you confront your pastor about it, or did you just let it slide?

As long as the pastor is not saying something outright heretical, it's not my job to confront him on it.

65. Why are there so many Christian denominations?

Because people are not infallible. We're sinners.

66. Are the people who are in those denominations bad Christians? Are they wrong?

Are they bad Christians? We're all bad Christians. We fall short every minute of every day. That's why we need Christ, and that is why it's all about Christ.

67. Which denomination is right?

The ones who preach Christ crucified for the forgiveness of all of your sins and keep that as the central focus. That's the simple answer anyways, and I am not going to write a book on the blogosphere.

68. Or, which group of denominations is right?

See #67.

69. Who, or what, do you think is responsible for natural disasters like earthquakes or tsunamis?

Your mom. No, really, it's hard to say anyone is directly responsible for them, God included. Although I will say that God certainly did set things up in this manner and man wrecked it.

70. Can you pause the video right now and tell me what the ten commandments are?

Yes I can.

71. And if you know them...why do so many Christians believe that the first four of them belong on government property and in the classrooms?

Because they are true. That being said, I am indifferent to that cause.

72. Would you feel comfortable saying the Pledge of Allegiance every day if the words were: One nation, under no God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all?

No. But to be fair and honest here, I'm not a big fan of pledging allegiance to a country anyways.

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

No, not really. If God exists, would you agree that He is immutable and His plan is always the best plan? In short, this question is pretty much a non-issue.

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

Completely and totally irrelevant. Why? Because I wasn't born in Saudi Arabia.

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?

Not really. I mean, this question is best aimed at different religions and the foundations of what they believe, not at the location of them. That's really a non-argument.

76. Do you believe childbirth is an example of a miracle?

No. Childbirth is the way children are brought into the world in the natural way. Childbirth is natural, not supernatural. The problem is, too many Christians are constantly seeking after miracles. When they don't find them, they say pretty much anything is a miracle. It's an example of bad theology and completely missing the point of the actual miracles that did happen and what they were for.

77. Does that mean that Hitler was once a miracle baby?

Reductio ad Hitlerum! I'm kind of a sucker for this. I think it's funny...

78. And if childbirth is a miracle, how come that miracle happens thousands and thousands of times every week?

Because it's natural, not a miracle.

Hopefully it has been shown that the vast majority of these questions are based on faulty assumptions and the ones that aren't are easily answered. Of course, atheists are always going to attack Christianity. That is what they do. I do wonder though: Why? If God does not exist, why go through all this trouble to attack Christianity? It makes very little sense. Likewise, if you are going to attack Christianity, it makes the most sense to try to actually understand Christian teachings before you do it. Instead of lighting up straw men, learn what Christianity actually has to say on these topics, and then proceed. Mr. Mehta's video, sarcastic or not, has done just that. He has assumed much regarding Christianity which is not true, and then proceeded to erect questions based on these untruths. For a worldview that champions itself as rational, logical, and free thinking, you would think that this reason and logic would actually be used when debating Christians, but it's not.

But then again, atheism is the most irrational worldview in existence. It simply cannot account for anything in the ultimate sense. Nor will it ever be able to do so, unless the law of physics do not exist and things in the natural world are completely random. But of course, that would demolish their starting point and presuppositions (if nature were random and the laws of physics were changeable).

What is funny to me is that they try to use science to prove that God does not exist. Well, as a scientist (I have a degree in Physics), I find that comical. How can a tool (yes, science is a tool) that exists to observe the natural world be used to disprove the existence of a supernatural God? To be short, science cannot do that. It's not intended to do that. It's kind of like using a fork to measure how fast an airplane is traveling. Not to mention, just the existence of science points to the existence of God. The uniformity of nature, the laws of logic, the laws of mathematics, the laws of Physics. The consistency and truth of these things point to the irrefutable fact that someone made it this way. Matter and nothingness cannot create laws and order. Until then, the dry hay will continue to be burnt up by the atheists.

Romans 1:18-20: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Grace and Peace

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