Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Atheists
I think it is important to point out that not all atheists persecute Christians. In my life, I have had the opportunity to speak with a number of atheists who did not persecute me for my faith. They disagreed with what I believed, but they were still willing to be friendly toward me. This has created opportunities for me to live out 1 Peter 3:15, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." Those atheists that do persecute Christians, however, often do so for a variety of reasons. Some have been hurt by people claiming to be Christians who have acted in a decidedly non-Christian manner. Because of this, they see all Christians as hypocrites and as a threat that must be countered. Before they can trust our faith, they must first be able to trust us as individuals. I had an experience like this once with a devout Muslim. Although he was not an "atheist," his faith and his experience had taught him not to trust anyone claiming to be a Christian. Ultimately, we had many long conversations about faith and religion, but before we could get to that point, he had to know that he could trust me as a person. He did not choose Christ during the time that I knew him, but I know that the seeds of faith were planted on receptive ground during our conversations. Another reason atheists persecute Christians is a misunderstanding of what Christianity really means. Since they do not believe in any god, they see all religion as mankind's made-up way of controlling each other. They do not wish to be controlled, so they rebel. Unlike other religions, though, Christianity is not about controlling mankind. I have seen this come out numerous times in debates between atheist and Christian scholars. Many times, the atheist's argument comes down to, "I want to do what I want to do, and no god can make me do anything differently." In Christianity, though, God does not "make" us do anything. We live in a fallen world where we are already slaves to the desires of the flesh and of the world. God saw fit, in his mercy and through his grace, to free us from that servitude through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. Those of us who choose that gift are then free to serve God, not because we are forced to and not because we fear punishment, as some atheists believe, but because we can. What they see as rules and control and restriction, we see as freedom.
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