One thing that bugs me about discussing God with people is that it's never really fair. Theology seems to be the only study science in which everyone is an expert. What's the deal? I want to try and be fair, set the record straight, level the playing field, etc.
Let's say I don't understand something about Psychology, maybe I don't even like something about it. Who would argue that I am equip to argue with a Psychologist that schizophrenia is made up? What would give me the right to argue with an engineer that a building is stupid because I don't like the way it looks? Ok, weak examples maybe, but the point is this: everyone pretends to be an expert in theology, but not in other studies. Why? Glad you asked.
The cynic, ever-clever, would say something like, "The building and the schizo are real." Here is the presuppositional problem: Science studies the observables> God isn't observable> God is unscientific> faith is contrary to science> religion is for dummies. If religion is for dummies, then any dummy can do it. Faith, after all, is made up so I can make up whatever I want about God! That makes total sense...except I don't make up my religion, God is infinitely bigger than our understanding, and I don't get to call the shots.
The average atheist spends their whole life believing what their teachers tell them and suppressing the possibility of a God, all the while getting further from honest exploration of life. It would take an extremely honest agnostic to actually study the Bible and give it a chance. If we are honest, not many of us are willing to give Origin of Species much of a chance (although it does collect dust on my shelf alongside Reason for God by Timothy Keller). So let's be honest with each other!
If you were honest: -You are out of your range of expertise. "But I've read the whole Bible; five times even." Wow *clap clap* you got it down then. Don't be absurd, there are people devoting their entire lives to the study of the Bible, don't sell it short of a legitimate science.
-God isn't appealing to you. I mean, he makes you do stuff sometimes! God is hard to believe in because we can't fit him under the slide or in a test tube. Sometime you don't want to believe.
- You haven't been fighting fair. You live out the fallacy that "God is illogical, therefore he doesn't exist." You know better than that.
- You may be more afraid of the consequences of being wrong. You know the stakes if you are wrong, and that's a lot to lose if you've been wrong.
If I am being honest: -There are many things I don't know about God. That doesn't scare me. What kind of God would I serve if I could know everything about him? (answer: small god).
- There are even things I don't like about God. I don't like that he ordered people killed in the OT, I don't like that he allows injustice, and I don't like that he is in charge sometimes. But then I remember that he is God, and that's not a cop-out answer, it's reverence and fear.
- I can't empirically prove God. That used to bug me more, but I know more than ever that God is at work and that he is more real than anything.
- I have been arrogant. The reason you don't believe may be because people like myself treat you like you're an ignorant fool or like you aren't allowed to ask question. Forgive me!
- Many of my brothers don't know why they believe and couldn't articulate it if they did. There has been an atmosphere of Don't ask Don't tell around the church. That's played-out; ask away! Email me, Facebook, Tweet, text, snailmail, telegraph (maybe not), just ask!
For Christians: You will never argue someone to Christ. You are working on two totally different intellectual playing fields. The reality is that the heart has to break first, and who can do that? Be prepared to answer questions that someone might have, but don't forget that it is God who can change the human heart.
I hope I was helpful. Again, feel free to ask me any question you have and I may answer "I don't know" but I'm not afraid of your questions and neither is God. Faith without question is blind, and that's not God's desire. Let's all agree to play fair now.
Let's say I don't understand something about Psychology, maybe I don't even like something about it. Who would argue that I am equip to argue with a Psychologist that schizophrenia is made up? What would give me the right to argue with an engineer that a building is stupid because I don't like the way it looks? Ok, weak examples maybe, but the point is this: everyone pretends to be an expert in theology, but not in other studies. Why? Glad you asked.
The cynic, ever-clever, would say something like, "The building and the schizo are real." Here is the presuppositional problem: Science studies the observables> God isn't observable> God is unscientific> faith is contrary to science> religion is for dummies. If religion is for dummies, then any dummy can do it. Faith, after all, is made up so I can make up whatever I want about God! That makes total sense...except I don't make up my religion, God is infinitely bigger than our understanding, and I don't get to call the shots.
The average atheist spends their whole life believing what their teachers tell them and suppressing the possibility of a God, all the while getting further from honest exploration of life. It would take an extremely honest agnostic to actually study the Bible and give it a chance. If we are honest, not many of us are willing to give Origin of Species much of a chance (although it does collect dust on my shelf alongside Reason for God by Timothy Keller). So let's be honest with each other!
If you were honest: -You are out of your range of expertise. "But I've read the whole Bible; five times even." Wow *clap clap* you got it down then. Don't be absurd, there are people devoting their entire lives to the study of the Bible, don't sell it short of a legitimate science.
-God isn't appealing to you. I mean, he makes you do stuff sometimes! God is hard to believe in because we can't fit him under the slide or in a test tube. Sometime you don't want to believe.
- You haven't been fighting fair. You live out the fallacy that "God is illogical, therefore he doesn't exist." You know better than that.
- You may be more afraid of the consequences of being wrong. You know the stakes if you are wrong, and that's a lot to lose if you've been wrong.
If I am being honest: -There are many things I don't know about God. That doesn't scare me. What kind of God would I serve if I could know everything about him? (answer: small god).
- There are even things I don't like about God. I don't like that he ordered people killed in the OT, I don't like that he allows injustice, and I don't like that he is in charge sometimes. But then I remember that he is God, and that's not a cop-out answer, it's reverence and fear.
- I can't empirically prove God. That used to bug me more, but I know more than ever that God is at work and that he is more real than anything.
- I have been arrogant. The reason you don't believe may be because people like myself treat you like you're an ignorant fool or like you aren't allowed to ask question. Forgive me!
- Many of my brothers don't know why they believe and couldn't articulate it if they did. There has been an atmosphere of Don't ask Don't tell around the church. That's played-out; ask away! Email me, Facebook, Tweet, text, snailmail, telegraph (maybe not), just ask!
For Christians: You will never argue someone to Christ. You are working on two totally different intellectual playing fields. The reality is that the heart has to break first, and who can do that? Be prepared to answer questions that someone might have, but don't forget that it is God who can change the human heart.
I hope I was helpful. Again, feel free to ask me any question you have and I may answer "I don't know" but I'm not afraid of your questions and neither is God. Faith without question is blind, and that's not God's desire. Let's all agree to play fair now.
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