A Christian Response
A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO AN ATHEIST USING THE PSEUDO-NAME
WISE MAN ATTACKING ALL RELIGION AS SPURIOUS AND ODIOUS
you from anything resembling objectivity. While there are some odious practices in some religious circles, your use of such a flagrant expression of distaste is odious in and of itself. You will hardly win anyone to your view by attacking them in such a blatantly despicable and disrespectful way.
Some of your attitude obviously stems from Catholic Priests who abuse children, but to take that as an excuse to marginalize all people of all faiths is inexcusable, intolerant and grossly ignorant. You are like many who love to stereotype others instead of dealing with people as individuals. There are good and bad people in every venue of life. I am hopeful that your bias can be put aside long enough to agree with that simple truth. It is entirely unfair and unjust to criticize an entire group of people for the actions of a few.
You further extricate yourself from the argument by accusing all gods (big or little G) as "invisible, do nothing, non-existent gods." You surely have no proof for your assertion, and therefore it is a false premise and only your opinion. Your ignorant assessment of believers as "drooling sheep"
is another foolish attack on people that you are absolutely clueless about and further expresses your subjectivity.
All in all, I would say you lost the argument before you went any further than the last expression
of indictment against anyone who believes in anything supernatural, and you're wallowing in ignorance of the very subject that you are repulsed by.
I must conclude that your very name is a misnomer. A truly "Wise man" is always respectful and courteous even when encountering those who he deems below his station of achievement in life. He might esteem himself to be wise compared to some who go through life less academically accomplished than he is, but that is nothing more than the arrogance of the intellectual bigot.
What precisely do you believe your children should be taught? If you have children they will be a reflection of whatever you teach them by example and by your words. At this point in time I am far more concerned about your children growing up in bias and bigotry than I am about my children singing "Jesus loves me this I know." At least their view of life brings pleasure and comfort to others while yours brings scorn and belittlement that is unworthy of any intelligent person at an time and for any reason or purpose.
Some of your attitude obviously stems from Catholic Priests who abuse children, but to take that as an excuse to marginalize all people of all faiths is inexcusable, intolerant and grossly ignorant. You are like many who love to stereotype others instead of dealing with people as individuals. There are good and bad people in every venue of life. I am hopeful that your bias can be put aside long enough to agree with that simple truth. It is entirely unfair and unjust to criticize an entire group of people for the actions of a few.
Wake up to reality. We are all human beings and according to the book you loathe we are all sinners. That puts all of us on a level playing field and leaves us in need of a solution to abolish sin in all our lives. It is sin, not religion, that reeks irrespective of what form it might take. Your conscience will tell you that, but your prejudice will probably reject it.
As far as your comment on going to Hell for all eternity is concerned you are wrong again. Hell is not eternal. Revelation 20:11-15 speaks of the last judgment of mankind. In verse 14 it is stated; "Death and Hell will be cast into the lake of fire." So Death and Hell end at that point, and the destiny of the wicked unrepentant is the lake of fire which is eternal.
Now you question God's fairness in sending someone there. The first thing you don't understand
is that God views sin on a much higher plane than you and I. He is infinite and perfect and we are finite and imperfect. Our judgment is flawed and his is perfect and without any flaw of any kind. We think there are big sins and small sins but God sees sin as it really is, and all of it stinks to him and is disgusting and unacceptable. God doesn't mete out punishment indiscriminately. He does not act arbitrarily. Everything he does is perfect because perfection cannot be altered, and so his works are perfect as he is.
Why would God send anyone to Hell or the lake of fire? The answer is simple. He made a way
of escape by allowing his Son to be lied about, abused, crucified, and killed as atonement for all undeserving sinners like us. Since he made the way of escape simple faith; it is inexcusable for anyone to reject this amazing sacrifice on their behalf. So, in essence, God never sends anyone to eternal punishment. People choose to reject his mercy that is extended to them or they receive his gracious gift of salvation. You are of the first group at present, but even though you foolishly mock God and accusing him falsely he will forgive you because you are doing it out of ignorance of spiritual truth. If that doesn't touch your heart then you are in a horrible position, and I pray that you'll be able to get past whatever is blocking you including your finite intellect.
Children are far more understanding than you might surmise. They know the difference between good and evil because their conscience convicts them of the things they do wrong. Little children will hear their parents say they are to stay away from something, but the minute their parents leave the room for a brief time they will go directly to the thing they were told not to go to. The Bible calls it the sin nature, and we have it from birth to the grave. If there were no sin nature there would never be any temptation to do evil.
My second born son was sitting on my lap early in the morning and then he got down and started to leave the room. He was three years of age at the time. He suddenly stopped and came back and looked up into my face and said; "Dad, I'm tired of being bad. I want to ask Jesus into my heart." So we prayed with him (he did the praying in his own words), and he has been firm in his commitment to the Lord ever since and he is now 36 years old and a wonderful young married man who loves people, loves children a lot and loves the Lord Jesus Christ. He had the option to turn from faith all these years and never did. I am confident that in the years to come he never will.
You will lead your children to become bitter or better. Your association or disassociation with the one true and living God of the Bible will be the catalyst that turns them one way or the other. I highly recommend that you thoroughly consider what you believe and why you believe as you do and examine it in the light of objectivity rather than subjectivity. Further, I strongly suggest that you examine what you believe in the light of the possibility of eternity beyond this short lifetime.
I can promise you that if you will be fair and just in your assessment and examine what I am saying carefully and research what I am saying fully, you will have a difficult time ever returning
to your current stance on God and those who believe in him.
It is okay to have an opinion but it is foolish to hold to it if it will cause you an eternity of suffering when you could have chosen an eternity of peace in a place where there is no more sorrow, pain, crying, suffering, or evil of any kind. There you would be with people who love God, as you will, if you repent of your sins and turn them over to him and receive his gracious gift of salvation and eternal life.
________________________________________________________________
JUST A NOTE TO MY READERS
For anyone who thinks I might be singling out atheists on this site I want to
assure you that I have openly rebuked Christians who attack others for their
beliefs including those who attack atheists, homosexuals, lesbians, and
evolutionists among others for their lack of love and ungodly attitudes.
________________________________________________________________