8-31-19 Apologetics and Atheism

Daily Jot: Apologetics and atheism - Bill Wilson -
 
My son Christian and I have been having an ongoing discussion about witnessing to atheists. He feels called to apologetics so we have been talking a lot about Christ's Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20, "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" and in Mark 16:13, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Christian believes that we have to equip ourselves to witness even to those who refuse to believe so we might fully exercise the Great Commission. In other words, be ready in season and out to make the case for Christ.
 
We have these deep talks about just how far one can go with someone who refuses to believe. Christian, who recently finished law school, witnesses to several people who want to argue the "logic" behind their agnostic or atheist belief about God. I keep pointing out that logic alone will not win the case for God because there is always the spiritual part that people who are not of faith cannot accept. AFP reports that 60 -ear old Brazilian-born theoretical physicist Marcelo Gleiser has received the Templeton Prize, which annually recognizes outstanding contributions to affirming life's spiritual dimension. Gleiser believes that science and religion are not enemies. In fact, he says, "Science does not kill God."
 
Gleiser told AFP, "The first thing you see in the Bible is a story of creation." He says, whatever your religion, "everybody wants to know how the world came to be." This fundamental curiosity unites science and religion, though each provides very different answers: science has a methodology, where hypotheses are eliminated. Gleiser says, "Science can give answers to certain questions, up to a point. This has been known for a very long time in philosophy, it's called the problem of the first cause: we get stuck. We should have the humility to accept that there's mystery around us." Gleiser says "It's extremely arrogant from scientists to come down from the ivory towers and make these declarations (against faith) without understanding the social importance of belief systems."
 
Gleiser said, "When you hear very famous scientists making pronouncements like ... cosmology has explained the origin of the universe and the whole, and we don't need God anymore. That's complete nonsense. Because we have not explained the origin of the universe at all." Herein is where the chasm widens because pride often prevents someone from seeing the realities of faith. Christians are accused of closed-mindedness when the unbelievers, themselves, are closed off to the possibility of faith. To my son's point, however, as Christians we need to know why we believe what we believe, and we should be able to explain it. Otherwise we are doing the Great Commission a disservice. Something to think about, for sure

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-17-23 Not in a Billion Years

Not In A Million Billion Years :: By Dave Hubley Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles (There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.) Several years ago, I had a conversation with a guy in a waiting room while getting an oil change (in the car, not me). I don’t recall exactly how the conversation originated or how it progressed, but I have never forgotten it. As I recall, it had something to do with evolution and an article that was contained in a “waiting room magazine” that was available there. He made the observation that God was “something that man had made up.” I can’t recall the exact reason he used to justify his opinion, but it had something to do with the usual reasons people give: Weak-willed people needing a crutch, and blah, blah, blah. I engaged him in a “witness,
Read more

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th
Read more