Continued from as a Christian, want the claims I have embraced about Christ to be true, and I accept the fact that I want that desperately. I would be absolutely devastated if the claims of Christ were proven to be untrue. I would have no reason for living. But Tony, Russell is not being honest with us is he? Why? Because there is an equally obvious emotional factor behind atheism!

Why do I say this? Because as an atheist, speaking out publicly and in writing of the non-existence of God, isn’t the very last thing that Russell wants – the existence of a righteous and holy God – the existence of the God of the Bible? Isn’t this the least desired, the most terrible thing conceivable for Bertrand Russell? Yes, the worst news Russell could imagine would be the confirmation that God does exist, and by the way, he is summoned to give an account of his life before Him on the Day of Judgment. Here is the motivation behind atheism – the desire to live independent of a Holy and Righteous God.

Here, as I said, the double standard Russell uses is obvious. He appealed to feelings of pride, courage, freedom and self-worth as a basis for those listening to him to say no to Christianity, yet attacked the Christian for having feelings which drove them to accept the Lordship of Christ.

Tony, isn’t it obvious that all of us need to admit that as to the existence of God, none of us is without bias. A Christian desperately wants Christ’s claims to be valid and true, and an Atheist desperately wants them to be invalid and untrue. Scripture leaves no room for neutrality in this regard. No one is neutral. Either we are God lovers or God haters. So to attack the Christian for his feelings in this shows double standard par excellence!

If Russell was honest, he would have to admit that both the atheist and the Christian possess a great deal of bias when it comes to this issue of God’s existence, but that doesn’t mean that both propositions are wrong. The issue of course is not our feelings about God’s existence, but whether or not God actually exists in reality. If God does not exist, then all my feelings of love and empathy towards Him won’t conjure Him up! If He exists, then all of Russell’s feelings against His existence won’t kill Him!

Russell has to stoop to obvious prejudice, to use logical fallacies in his argumentation, and shows no basis for his philosophical arguments. I am left with the Apostle Paul to conclude that Russell simply suppressed the truth he knew about God because he was desperate to avoid the God who really is. Even Russell’s most ardent followers would have to admit that this essay is open to much criticism, and Tony, I have to conclude that his rejection of God in his thinking was not based upon any sound or intellectual basis at all but only on a prejudicial bias in the extreme.

I hope that these comments help you to see through the issues clearly. As I conclude, I would ask you to read a couple of passages of scripture to meditate upon. The first I have already mentioned in Romans 1:16-23; and the second is found in 1 Corinthians 1:18 – 2:16. As you read these through, I believe that you can be very thankful to God for the wondrous and amazing grace He has given you in revealing His truth to you. It wasn’t your wits or intelligence that caused you to see His truth, but the Sovereign gracious gift of God (Ephesians 2:8, 9). Though the message of the cross is foolishness to others, to the called, to those being saved, it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). In verse 19 Paul goes on to say that God will “destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” I can’t help but think of men like Bertrand Russell at this point.

As we read further in 1 Corinthians 1, we find a series of four questions posed to us.

1) Where is the wise?

2) Where is the scribe?

3) Where is the disputer of this age?

4) Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

The obvious point of these questions is to provoke us to answer that the world’s wisdom is not real wisdom at all, for it starts in the wrong place, without God.

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” (v. 20, 21)

Because you are part of the company called “the called” you know that Christ is the power and wisdom of God. (v. 24)

God leaves the debaters to themselves, knowing that without acknowledging Him, they are sure to end up only in intellectual cul de sacs, never getting anywhere. However this same God is pleased to reveal the truth to those He calls. What grace!

As you reflect on these things Tony, I pray that your faith will be strengthened even after you have considered some of the main arguments of atheism and that you will be stronger in your faith because of it.

I will get this off in the mail to you and will wait a couple of days before calling you again. I am confident that after reading this, “your faith might not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” (1 Cor. 2:5).

If there is anything else I can help you with, or if I can clarify any of these things further, just let me know and I’ll be happy to try to answer any questions you have or else I can point you to resources that I think would be of help to you. I look forward to hearing good news about you when I call. Keep the faith Tony!

In the Perfect Savior,

Rev. John Samson

Dear Atheist, I am going to be entirely honest with you right from the start and tell you that I dont believe you exist. By that, I do not mean you are not physically in existence. Clearly someone pressed the “send” button” to transfer the letter I found in my e-mail box this morning that reports to have come from you. I see no reason to question its authenticity.

What I mean is that I dont believe you are a true atheist. I dont just say that about you though, I say that about every professing atheist. That is because, from my worldview as a Bible believing Christian, the God who has clearly revealed Himself both through this natural order and in Scripture has told us:

Romans 1: 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 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. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools…

God does not believe that genuine atheists exist. He has made the truth of His existence known to you and you are suppressing this knowledge with all the mental gymnastics you can muster from a heart in defiance of Him. Actually, that leads me to my first question:

(1) Why do you spend so much time on the internet and in every other possible venue seeking to spew out hatred for a God you say you dont believe in? If he does not exist, why do you seem to hate Him so much?

(2) In your evolutionary material worldview, where all things came from minute particles of matter exploding, can you please explain where personality comes from? For instance, if all there ever was was rock, which rock decided to expand itself to think, to choose, to like, to dislike – and how exactly did it do that?

(Just telling you right up front, if your answer is “matter, if given a whole lot of time developed personality ” you will have lost me. Something without personality cannot develop personality whether left to itself for 5 minutes or 5 billion years. If you then say that science has yet to observe this but I am sure it will, once again you will have lost me. Science has not only never observed it, but it defies all its basic premises. You are merely hoping for something and that is not dealing with the present reality we all have to deal with, the data currently available to us).

(3) You seem hell bent (pardon the expression) on tearing down the God of the Bible suggesting He does not live according to His own standards of goodness. You say that if He is ultimately reponsible for all that is and all that happens in this world, this raises serious questions about His goodness. But may I ask, where are you even getting the concept of good? Aren’t you having to borrow from my worldview to even find such a thing as moral goodness? How can there be moral goodness in an atheistic worldview? Aren’t you left with only moral preferences – you prefer to eat nicely at a restaurant today rather than go on a genicidal run to exterminate all people from Iceland, but in your system, those who choose the latter are merely those with a different preference for the day. There is no right and wrong when ultimately there is no one to answer to. And if you say that society at large comes up with morality, then nothing is fixed, because society (if we mean by that, what most people in a society think) changes its view regularly (slavery was one considered acceptable in America, and now obviously is not).

As one man observed, “what makes your moral standard more than a subjective opinion or personal preference? What makes it truly binding or obligatory? Why can’t I just ignore it? Won’t our end be the same (death and the grave) either way?”

(4) Why not be a full blown, out in the open, militant racist? If all we are is grown up germs (in an evolutionary/atheistic framework) who cares if black grown up germs or white ones, sit at the back of the bus. We get rid of germs in the sink, why not get rid of grown up germs in our neighborhood?

You realize that because there is an ultimate law giver who has made His will known and to whom all of us in every culture is accountable, I know WHY such a thing is wrong, but where in your system can you say any of this slaughter of people of a different color is morally “wrong”?

(5) I have asked where you get morality. Now I ask you what it is. If everything ultimately must be explained by the laws of physics and chemistry, help me understand what a morality is (does it have mass, occupy space, hold a charge, have wavelength)?

(6) I know you believe in morality because you accuse God of not being moral enough, so please tell me, how did matter, energy, time and chance result in a set of objective morality? As one man asked so well, “Did the big bang really spew forth “love your enemy?” If so, you have to help me understand that.”

For my part, I believe there is no moral “good” apart from the God you say you dont believe in, and whose character you question.

I look forward to receiving your reply.

Sincerely,
John Samson

For those interacting with people who have been influenced by the writings and lectures of atheist Richard Dawkins, here is what I find to be an excellent response from Paul Copan. It is well worth bookmarking these articles and going through them one by one.

Part 1: Copan’s recent interaction with Richard Dawkins Personal Responsibility, and Naturalism’s Counterintuitive Claims (read more)

Part 5: Morality and Naturalisms Counterintuitive Claims (read more)