Tips: Doing Battle With The Godless Empire.

[upstarter]

I never know what category to post things in, so I'm going to put this here and Kev or Kel can move it if I'm wrong.

 

Hubby sent me this link. Apparently from a Google Group called Atheism vs. Christianity. Fascinating. Apparently there are some xtians out there who are willing to give us our props, while at the same time arming their fellows with tools to defeat us.

 

I'm going to post the whole thing rather than just giving the link because I never know if the links will work. #8 made me really laugh.

 

 

Christians: Tips To Doing Battle With Evil Atheists

 

Some things to keep in mind:

 

1. Remember that they are people, just like you are. Contrary to what you may have been led to believe, they are not some lower life form we share this planet with.

 

2. More than likely, they are smarter than you are. This can be difficult to come to grips with, but it does appear to be true and is a claim that is actually supported by the Bible (1 Corinthians 1:18-31)

 

3. Statistically, they are also as moral, if not more so than you are. While it is a good thing that they generally are highly moral, it is a shame that we, who often times claim the moral high ground, seem unable, or unwilling, to match our words with our lives.

 

4. They will probably thump you in debate. They are much more likely to have carefully thought through their position and understand why they believe what they do. We are more likely simply to present some argument that the person we heard it from guaranteed would destroy the enemy. The problem with that is that many of them have heard the same arguments many times and are easily able to counter them.

 

5. Don't under-estimate their knowledge of the Bible. Many of them are more familiar with the Bible than the average Christian is. And they know all of the passages that will cause you a problem, and will not hesitate to challenge you with them.

 

So, as a Christian, what chance do we have when doing battle with the godless empire? Here are some suggestions that may make your stay here more rewarding.

 

 

1. Don't feel like you have to win all of the battles. You are not going to. In fact, you may not win any of them. Be satisfied with being able to clearly and logically express what you believe and why. While you may never convince another person on this group, you will have helped yourself by taking the time to understand what you believe and why, and to verbally present it. 1 Peter 3:15 says in part "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." We are challenged to give an answer, not to win a fight.

 

2. Be respectful, open and truthful. The remainder of 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to make our defense "with gentleness and respect". Realize that the people you are debating with really do have a lot to offer. Don't throw away the opportunity to learn from them because they do not believe in the God we hold dear. Don't make the mistake of believing that everything an atheist says is suspect.

 

3. Treat them the way you would like to be treated yourself. Remember what Jesus says in Matthew 7:12: "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Jesus tells us to initiate the desired treatment, not just respond to others in the way we are treated. Most atheists here will treat you with at least the same amount of respect that you show to them.

 

4. Be willing to admit that there are things you don't know. Believe it or not, it will not hurt your position.

 

5. Remember that our walk is by faith and that we cannot prove that God exists or that the Bible is true. We might be able to make an argument to support those beliefs, but do not mistake that for proof.

 

6. Remember that while the Bible may be authoritative to you, like it is to me, to an atheist it is just an old book and has no more authority than the Iliad.

 

7. Enjoy your stay with us, learn and share, and don't get too worked up about anything.

 

8. Don't feed the trolls.

 

 

Reference: http://www.google.com/group/Atheism-vs-Chr...-atheists?hl=en

[R. S. Martin]

I'm going to look up that link. This sounds like the ideal kind of Christian and it helps me get into the mind of a few people I know. It's just plain decent; it's the script that has been going around in my head but I haven't quite articulated it yet. Now I don't have to.

 

If these people are as good as their word, then these are people one can actually talk with and learn from without getting all hot and bothered and risking one's neck just to ask an honest question.

 

Truth to tell, I had to read most of it before I trusted it. It sounded too much like an atheist pretending to be a Christian. I read your intro several times just to get a handle on who is saying what, and why they are saying it. Maybe it was this part that made it sound fairly genuine:

 

6. Remember that while the Bible may be authoritative to you, like it is to me, to an atheist it is just an old book and has no more authority than the Iliad.

 

That is the second last thing the writer says before the instruction not to feed the trolls--lol--and he/she states personal position, i.e. the Bible is authoritative for him or her.

 

Those eight points kept accumulating in my mind because they really sound like Christian thinking the way they draw on the Bible in the same way I understand the biblical text.

 

Thanks for posting the link. I'll look it up and possibly join them if they're all as good as this one post.