Shhhh. If you pause and be silent you will be able to hear it. That sound of a voice in the distance that seems to be getting louder and louder. Can you hear it? It sounds like this: “Let’s get ready to rumblllllllllllllllllle!”
When an atheist and a Christian engage in a conversation, this is the sound that we seem to hear before we begin the discussion. It’s as if each of has challenged the other to a smackdown of heavenly or earthly proportions.
To me, this sound is deafening and I’m going to do my part to mediate. For the atheists I declare this statement: I am not going to try and convert you. I will not use cliches to pick away at your intelligence. My life’s purpose is not to see you become a Christian or to proselytize. For the Christians that may read this, let me clarify my position to you as well: I am not here to help you stumble or to challenge your theology. I do not proclaim that I am the sole bearer of truth or to represent that I know Jesus any better than you do. My goal is not to criticize you. I know that I have a plank in my eye that is probably bigger than the speck in your eye.
Basically, I am tired of seeing atheists and Christians getting ready to rumble and regurgitating the same old tired statements in defense of their positions, which ultimately get us no where. The sad truth is that Christians can’t really engage atheists in a relevant way unless they have been in their shoes (not always literally, but figuratively) and atheists can’t debate Christians unless they understand the true Christian perspective. Once this has been established between the two sides, some clarity can begin. Maybe neither side will win any “converts,” but possibly both sides can leave the table with mutual respect for each other. Rather then ending the battle in a tie, I propose that we lock the doors to the arena so that we don’t step into the ring at all.
Throughout the week I’ll be posting some things that I hope will lend some understanding to both sides of the argument and help us bridge the divide that causes us to be antagonistic and hateful of one another. May it help you in your journey as a Christian or an atheist and may we each realize that the other has value in society and are both good and moral people, even if we may not agree on God, Jesus, or the Bible.
Related posts:
- Atheist vs Christian: California’s Proposition 8
- Atheist vs Christian: God is Love?
- Atheist vs Christian: Is God A Murderer?
- Atheist vs Christian: Morality only comes with Christianity?
- Atheist vs Christian: Evangelism…keep it to yourself
Tags: agnostic, atheist, christian, humanist, relative truth, spiritual, worldly
Back in college when I talked with other folks whom I am not sure if they were Christians or not… I tend to stay away from subjects about God and stuff. After all, I am unconsciously aware that any comment I made about Jesus and God could influence these people’s thinkings about Christians one way or another.
So, instead, I used my actions to show that I am a Christian, as actions speak louder than words. I think when people see how I treat them and realize that I am a Christian, they might think, “Hey, not all Christians are bad people. They might or might not know the Bible well, but at least I am comfortable of having a Christian as a friend now.”
Thanks for sharing your experiences Bill. Actions do speak louder than words.
Hi Dave,
I’m glad you have opened this dialogue. These debates often degrade to bashing sessions. We need to listen in order to understand and grow. The Bible may be right but sometimes Christians get it wrong. Thanks for your approach on this.
Peace,
Calvin
Calvin, thank you for visiting and for your encouragement. I agree that there is too much hate and animosity on this issue and hopefully this will lend to a peaceful way of viewing both sides of the argument.
Dave it’s not atheists vs. christian. Atheists dont care we believe what we believe and thats that. We don’t look down on people just because of what they believe. We don’t push our beliefs on people like theists, we let the atheists find themselves. There is no reason for us to get into a royal rumble about if god is real or not because we have nothing to prove. We know what we believe and thats good enough for us, we dont need other poeple to follow we are true in our beliefs.
Hi Will, thanks for taking the time to respond. This was part one of a series of posts that I made regarding the differing positions of atheists and Christians. My point was not that it should be atheist vs Christian. Actually, I think there are some things that unite us as people that we should look to first, rather than just trying to convince each other why they are wrong and we are right. Hopefully you have an opportunity to view those posts as well by clicking on the drop-down menu on the right sidebar and selecting the category “atheist.”
Based on your comments, it’s refreshing to know that you don’t make it a point to engage people of faith into discussion that lead them to believe that they are wrong and you are right. However, many atheists do antagonize Christians and the same is true of some Christians that judge atheists and try to debate them. I’m just looking to try and find some peace between us and have open dialog with those that choose to engage in such discussions.
As an atheist I told others I didn’t care what they thought and that I believed God did not exist and that I didn’t see any evidence to show otherwise, however that changed just before my 38th birthday and I can tell you that it was unexpected and frankly, unbelievable. People can be changed by the power of God, yet many Christians act as if the change comes by their arguments instead.
Thanks again Will!