Tuesday, June 4, 2013

MY CONVERSATION WITH AN #ATHEIST (VERY LONG READ)

This is definitely unlike a Life Signatures  post. You realize that most of the things I write here do not have a direct connotation of 'religion'. I have intended to be as all-encompassing as possible. However, over the past several days, I have been wondering about Atheism.

If you want an instant rebuttal on twitter, I challenge you to write anything negative about an #Atheist. Make
Pascal
sure you hash-tag it. That is what I did and I realized that there are multitudes of those who do not believe in the Divine.

  • Some #Atheists replied with such un-imagined hatred. I did not expect it.
  • Most of them pointed on the wrongs and disasters on earth to declare there is no God
  • A good number of them used high sounding words that I needed a dictionary to understand them (maybe they were telling me that #Atheism and theories and lots of knowlege go hand in hand).
  • Such a good number told me that there were 3000 'god's to choose from (So what if you choose a wrong one?). I told one of them that God chose me, I did not choose him. I am sure his eyes rolled at 360 mph in the socket!.
  • Nearly all off them needed evidence that there is a God before they could believe
  • A good number suggested that I was indoctrinated at childhood (well, who wasn't anyway...and that includes Atheists). Yet if anything, I was 'indoctrinated' as an adult.
  • Some of course were gracious enough for a 'civilized' conversation

My first post about Atheism went something like this:

"Dear #Atheist. If in the end there is no God, believing Christians have nothing to lose. If  in the end there was a God, you on the other hand have everything to lose".

Almost instantly, more than five #Atheists replied by saying: "Pascal's Wager". That was my very first time to hear that. So I googled it and found an interesting answer here.

Needless to say, I had 'healthy discussions' with some of them till I logged off.

For some reason, I just had this nudging in my mind to send another tweet on the same subject. So as I was thinking about it, I tweeted the following:

"Dear #Atheist. Between #convictions from the Spirit and #Condemnation from man, which one do you experience the most? Be honest".

Well, that tweet is like three days old by the time I write this, but has not received any replies. I should tweet it again.

However, the one that really elicited lots of discussion was this one:

"The No. 1 reason why someone would be an#Atheist is the existence of God. Think about that. Without Him, you have no object of unbelief!"

It is from that tweet that I would like to share the following discussion. First of all, you need to note that there was such a long delay in getting replies from any Atheists. After another day, I thought maybe my tweet was not seen, so I sent it again. 

Again, after some delays, I sure did get some responses as shown:

Me: "The No. 1 reason why someone would be an#Atheist is the existence of God. Think about that. Without Him, you have no object of unbelief!"

Atheist 1: would that make you an aunicornist? @Permission4G @Namale or do you believe in them too? your belief doesn't make your god real cc #atheist (Really did not understand the guy, so I did not reply)

Atheist 1: the reason why i became #atheist@Permission4G @Namale is i woke up one day and realized i couldn't prove my god to myself. neither can you.

Me: @Permission4G And so you keep mentioning 'god'...y would you name something/Someone that does not exist?

At this point, Atheist 2 makes a grand entry into the conversation and takes it away till the end (I must have stopped tweeting)

Atheist 2@Namale my reason is the lack of evidence for his existence. You believe what you like don't make it true

Me: When you refer to 'him'....you already mentioned his existence...that's my point...otherwise...why say 'he' is not there?

Atheist 2: so when an insane person talks about there imaginary friends that makes them real

Me:  Imaginary 'friend'...if a 'friend' never existed in the first place...would he talk about them? I guess not!!

Atheist 2: yes children have imaginary friends and they don't exist. Saying he doesn't mean they exist.

Me: My point exactly.Where did they get the act of imagining 'friends' if they never knew what a 'friend' is in the 1rst place? 

Atheist 2: by your logic all gods ever invented exist

Me: 'invented' you say? Would something be invented and at the same time not exist?

Atheist 2: they have a friend them they imagined one that doesn't mean that the imaginary one exists

Me:  I still repeat. They are using an 'existing' 'friend' to imagine another one. Can you imagine of 'nothing?' Can you?

Atheist 2: yes invented in peoples head

Me: So they 'exist' in people's heads as you put it. So your job (as an Atheist) is to make sure that they do not exist in your head, right?

Atheist 2 i'm wondering how people think there imaginary friend it's real with no proof

Me: Can they 'imagine' something that never existed? and if so, how did that non existing entity get a name? Think about that!

Atheist 2: I can imagine a friend don't make them real

Me: Ok...name for me something that exists not...something that you and I know has never existed. Please?

Atheist 2: imagination I can think of anything and name it doesn't mean it is real

Atheist 2:  i'm thinking of a green bob with 6 eyes and calls it's shurpalot. Can you find that because I don't think it exists

Me: Wrong. Let's break it down. You mentioned 'eyes', Check, 'green' check, 'bob', check. It constitutes of what exists.Get it?

Atheist 2: but you said name something I described that one thing not many things that do exist

Me: Your 'naming' was not purely based on what never existed. It is a composition of what you and I know exists already!

Atheist 2yes that what I named had characteristics that have been given names but as a whole entity does it exist

Me: those are not characteristics. Those are parts of what's existing! Without them, what you just 'created' would not exist!

Atheist 2:  so how does this mean God exists

Me: See, you are now attributing your 'unbelief' to Him. He exists, and He is mean. I think that is your main issue here.

Atheist 2wow that mean nothing. You think language means God exists

Me: Not really.How did u figure out that the God I am talking about is 'Mean', if u never believed he exists in the 1rst place?

Atheist 2: because I descried something that never existed and you think it does exist but it doesn't i've used language to explain it

Me:  you never described 'nothing'. What you described is made up of what exists, not what has never existed!

Atheist 2: yes I did bit we have language to describe characteristics then you picked it apart to say it exists way I described doesn't

Me: True. Language explains what exists. For example 'internet' never existed, so there was no such name before it. Get it?

Atheist 2: yes but does shurpalot exist? It's got a name

Me:  It's got a name and a description. As of now, its a concept in your mind. Put yourself to work and viola! There it is.

Atheist 2:  so it's a concept not a real thing just like people have with imaginary friends and other have with God

At this point, my mind must have been tired with this draining conversation, so I must have logged off.

So anyway, one of the ways you can have a Life Signature is by having values. Values come from a Higher Power. I do not know where else they would come from. 

That is why my #Faith is in the Almighty God.
I believe He tasked us with the responsibility of nurturing the planet.
I believe He does not intervene in the affairs of our lives save by believing prayer
I believe He loves everybody unconditionally.
I believe His proof of love is to give us choices. Two choices. Accept Him, or reject Him. Love is never forced.
I believe He sent His Son to redeem (buy back) broken and lost humanity.
I believe He is coming back again to take His very own.

To be honest, I have no idea where I would be without Him. I have gone through so much and I have experience so much that you can never dissuade me with any high sounding argument of God not existing.

I talk to Him daily, and He talks back.

My Life Signatures are wholly and strongly held up by his grace.

I am a believer.

How about you?

6 comments:

  1. Looks like i missed the party!! wow

    ReplyDelete
  2. Haha. Wasn't really a party. It was un-chattered territory for me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Whoa! An argument with an atheist never ends!

    I believe in God!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You got that right. That's why arguments never are successful. It is through conviction. Conviction comes when the Word is shared out...over to us.

    ReplyDelete
  5. hmmmm very interesting read but i would be careful when it comes to engaging in such arguments. Paul warned Timothy and Titus of such.

    2 Timothy 2:22-23

    New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

    22 Shun youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 Have nothing to do with stupid and senseless controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.

    Titus 3:9

    New Living Translation (NLT)

    9 Do not get involved in foolish discussions about spiritual pedigrees or in quarrels and fights about obedience to Jewish laws. These things are useless and a waste of time.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I hear you Esther believe me I do. However, it is same Paul who had days of 'conversation' (just like I did with the Atheist) with King Agrippa (and Felix) trying to get the man converted. My take is that this 'conversation' I had was more fruitful than my eternal silence. I got to learn so much, and now I get to pray for Atheists daily.
    Thanks for sharing. Bless you.

    ReplyDelete

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