Message to an Online Evangelical Atheist

Message to an Online Evangelical Atheist

I say 'evangelical' because he is making an effort to convert those who pass by his site with some really nice stuff on it.

It is rather sad that but typical of many atheists that they will not discuss anything with you except on their own turf. So BGH will not comment on my thoughts about Atheism here. Why not? What is there to be afraid of? Except truth?

His article carries the following title: "My Atheism Is Not a Rejection of Your God"

See below the small excerpt...

09 Jan

Written by BGH

"First and foremost it is a disbelief in a spirit-creator being who rules the universe."

Charles Pedley

January 13th, 2009 at 5:10 pm

Have you ever read this? http://charlespedley.blogspot.com/2009/01/impossibility-of-atheism.html

1. Remember a few things about your article above.
   “Does not operate in my mind” - that is a choice - since greater atheists than you have become Christians, you just choose not to. [And looks like you had some well-intentioned but ineffective help.]
   

2. "but I do take issue with the actions carried out in the name of religion" MOST of the good things we have in our society came from 'religion', mainly Christianity. Examples, universities, schools, hospitals, caring for the poor, caring for the handicapped, red cross, [notice not a red swastika?], public schools, universitites. I could go on but let’s stop there. So you don’t like those actions carried out in the name of religion? Or if you refer to the bad ones carried out in name of religion, remember that Stalin, Hitler, Idi Amin, Pol Pot were NOT religious. Of course I am sure they are your heroes? (:-)>

3. There is no such thing as “secular”. Religion is a set of beliefs you have bound yourself to [Latin 'religas']. Therefore you have beliefs as outlined above. Therefore YOU TOO are religious. You are just a religious atheist. And I also take issue with actions such as those taken by the notable atheists above, carried out in their name.

   Everyone has a set of beliefs, some just in the head, most unwritten but evident by those who know you. We are all religious. So you CANNOT keep governments ’secular’ because then you have to have people running it who have no beliefs. [those are probably called zombies.]
   

4. Wait a minute,,, maybe THAT is why government works so poorly and wastes so much money! ZOMBIES are running it. AAAAAAhhhhhh (:-) I guess that is enough.

5. You see, a hypnotist cannot hypnotize an unwilling candidate, a drunk cannot be cured until he admits he’s a drunk, an atheist cannot come to know God until he is willing. And many have become willing. Those who don’t have devised their own religion, atheism, and their own superior being, usually themselves or another well-known atheist that they look up to.

   I wish you peace and long life because remember the epitaph of an atheist “All dressed up and no place to go”. I hope you find a place to go. The best place!
   

Impossibility of Atheism

To put it simply, I have NO respect for atheists! Why?

You may think it is because:

1. I am a believer
2. My brain is seized up
3. I am stupid
4. I am a conservative
5. I belong to the religious right [as opposed to the liberal left?]
6. I am an evangelical Christian. Therefore I cannot think.
7. I am not open-minded
8. I don't agree with your idea.
   

Some or all of the above may be true of me. However some are also true of atheists!

Why?

Would you agree that an atheist is a person who adamantly declares that there is no supreme being, no superior force, no God?

Now an agnostic, I believe is honest. What is wrong with saying, "I don't know if there is a God?" Nothing! It is your honest statement of your thought processes.

However an atheist believes in no absolutes except the absolute belief that there is no superior being. He cannot see a God; therefore there is no God.

I cannot see Rome but somehow I still think it is there!

I cannot see electricity and many have faced electrocution for that very reason!

Why is the atheistic position untenable?

I ask you, the reader, atheist or not, "What per cent of the world's knowledge do you have?"

• Do you have less than 10%?
• Less than 5%?
• Less than 1%?
• I am sure you would agree that anyone who says they have more than 1% of the world's knowledge has already declared oneself as a supreme being and therefore it is not possible to have discussion with that one!
  

Let us agree that anyone reading this has less than 1% of the knowledge available in the world. Okay?

Then there is 99% of the world's knowledge that we do not posssess? Isn't that logical straightforward math? 100% -1% = 99%.

So is it possible that God exists in the 99% of knowledge that you do not have?

Do you know what every atheist I have ever talked with or communicated with says? "No!" They say it is not possible that God exists in the 99% of the world's knowledge they do not have!

Isn't that a rather arrogant attitude. You do not have ANY knowledge in that 99%, but you declare with no hesitation that you KNOW no God can exist there!

That is the equivalent of saying, "I know NOTHING about Australia and have never been there but I KNOW that Sydney does NOT exist!" And those kangaroos? That's made up too!

That is why I have no respect for atheists. They claim superior knowledge to everyone else, especially those who DO believe in God. They have declared themselves to be the superior being because they KNOW there is no God and they KNOW there is no God in spite of the fact that they possess less than 1% of the world's information!

That is ridiculous! It is also not deserving of respect. Anyone who says that has closed his or her mind to logic.

It is impossible to declare that you know something about knowledge you do not have. But that is exactly what an atheist does.

Why Me?

Have you ever been in traffic like downtown Toronto?

I remember one time trying to get from a side street on to University Avenue. Now this one corner had more poles than I have ever seen totally blocking my vision to look for a break in the traffic. So I did what we all do. I crept forward more and more until I could see well past the poles.

Of course I was then somewhat blocking the pedestrian walkway across the street. Most people just go around the front or rear of the vehicle and give you a look. But out of the corner of my eye as I watched this one man visibly upset, and glancing very briefly at him, I could see he was giving me obscene gestures as if to say, “Who are you to dare block my way?”

I didn’t have a choice. I had to see the traffic. I became upset and thought to myself, “What kind of jerk is this? Can’t he see that I have to be here to see when my turn comes? I was frustrated thinking, Why him? Why did I have to get such an inconsiderate boob to deal with?

Suddenly into my head rushed some thoughts. “You don’t know what this man has been through.” “Maybe he was abandoned by his parents as a kid.” Maybe his wife walked out on him this week and took his son with her. Maybe he was just really hungry. Maybe he had to sleep on the street. Maybe his dad beat him regularly.”

The Lord was answering my query. I asked why and God was giving me the possibilities. So then tentatively I thought, “But why do I have to put up with such unjustified anger from someone crossing just at the time I was there?” The thought popped into my head, “Maybe you are the only christian who will pray for him.” Maybe nobody cares what happens to him. Maybe nobody ever has.”

So I prayed for him. I asked God to give him a chance to meet the only one who can help, when there is no help. I told God that I did not know why we had to meet that day but Jesus died for both of our lives on that day, many years ago, for me and for him, in fact all of us. I told God I was sorry for my reaction and asked him to bless this man who had walked into my life for a very brief moment in time, so that I could pray for him.

I had a choice. I could yell back at him from inside my car. I could tell him where to get off. It is your choice sometimes. There is always a choice. Of course he didn’t deserve my prayer, but did I deserve to have the God of this universe allow his son to die on a cruel cross for my sins?

So do you care? Do you care enough to forget your justified anger, to pray for someone that nobody else will pray for? Will you pray for that driver that cut you off? Or will you just chalk it up to another jerk that crosses your path? Will you be faithful and pray for an undeserving man, a man who has no one to pray for him? It’s up to you. It could have been a coincidence that you met, sort of, on that street corner. Or it could have been a God-incidence.

The Investor

Copyright 2005 by Charles G. Pedley

Once there was a man who over his lifetime learned a strategy of investing which made him a multi-billionaire. As he was getting on in age, he wished to pass on this knowledge to his children and all those who would be patient enough to learn the technique. He knew that if he sat them down and told them how he did it, they would forget part of it and give up too soon or remember only part of it, so he decided to write a book called The Investor's Manual.

In this book, he laid out, in specific detail, chapter after chapter the technique he had used to become so rich. It was a long book. He explained a method and then gave examples of how it had worked in his own life over and over again. Knowing that all of his children think differently he explained the same principles in several different ways, hoping that if they did not understand and believe after reading one way, that maybe, just maybe they would finally read a method that they understood. It was not a short book. It took several years to write, but finally it was finished and was published.

That year, at Christmas he gave each of his children a copy of his book, hot off the press. They all thanked their dad very much for the gift as is the custom at Christmas. Some of them started reading it and thought it was too simple; others began and thought, "This is too boring! Maybe I will read it when I get older!" Some would read a chapter, try the idea they thought they had read and when it did not work out right away, gave up in disgust.

A few of them patiently read on. After all, their dad was a multi-billionaire. He must know something! Even though parts of it made no sense, these patient ones kept reading until they had finished the whole book. Some even read parts of it again and again.

A few decided to take a little of their money and try what dad had told them. They didn't became rich overnight, but gradually those who kept studying The Investor's Manual and investing according to the principles that their dad had laid out, came to see that it worked. They discovered the ideas that their dad had discovered over his lifetime and put them into practice. Ever so slowly they became richer and richer. Even though it had taken dad his lifetime to learn, they learned at a younger age and started to accumulate wealth sooner.

Some of the children who had not finished the book thought that dad had given the wealthy ones more money to start with and became jealous and envious. They would stay away from family gatherings because they were angry that dad would be more generous to some than others. The family grew further and further apart.

Finally, one of the children who had become a multi-millionaire at an early age thought that he would try to bring the family back together again like it had been when they were young. He called a meeting and told them that he would tell them exactly how he accumulated so much wealth. They all came even though it had been a long time since they had been together.

He shared with them one of the principles that had made him wealthy. Then he gave each one of his family $10, 000 and told them to go and try it and not to give up too soon.

They all took the money. Some thought they could think of better ways to use the money and decided to spend it on a "good time". Some invested the money like their brother had said and waited.

Results did not always come immediately. But for those who were patient, they began to see their money grow! Dad's ideas did work after all! After seeing that only one idea made money for them, some of them searched and searched until they found their copy of The Investor's Manual and started to read it again. Every time they put a principle into practice, with patience, they discovered that it accumulated more money and gradually their fortunes grew. They became wealthier and wealthier like their dad had been. They discovered that dad's ideas worked after all but not always right away or as soon as you would like. Some of them take time and patience to ride out the storm so to speak and not give up.

You will immediately recognize the name of the man when I tell you. His name is Almighty Father, Creator, Mighty God. And you have probably guessed it by now, that The Investor's Manual is the Bible. Money, I suppose represents how we spend our time. Do we invest it wisely or will we look back on a life of regrets, unfulfilled promises and broken relationships?

And now you know the rest of the story! And if you look back you will see various ways that we react to the Bible, God's method to us. In fact, some may have put this article down and decided to read it later just the way we often do with the Bible! And of course The Investor's Manual was a great Christmas gift! And the son who put his father's method into practice was of course, Jesus, our greatest Christmas gift ever!

Do you see how we let preconceived ideas influence our thoughts and actions? Do you see that it is our attitude toward things that happen to us that determines how we think and feel and ultimately, act? Do you see how changing our attitude and giving a new attitude a chance can change your life? It has changed mine many times! Sometimes I am just downright stupid! It takes God allowing things to happen in my life again and again to finally get the message through this thick skull of mine!