If you are a Christian who is vocal about your faith, you’ve probably been asked these questions. If you are an atheist, agnostic, or skeptic, you’ve probably been on the other side of those questions. It is common for religious believers to be in the hot seat when it comes to intellectually justifying their beliefs, but some don’t recognize that non-believers also have a fair share of ‘splainin to do.
“How can God exist amidst so much evil and suffering?”
“If God exists, why all the hypocrisy amongst Christians?”
“Why is there so little evidence of God’s existence?”
Rest assured, the questions above have good answers, but they shouldn’t be the only focus; the skeptic should be in the hot seat too:
1) Why is there something rather than nothing?
When it comes to scientific and philosophical evidence, the “big bang” is where it’s at. If the “big bang” happened, the universe has not always been–it began a finite time ago. Herein lies the rub for the atheist, though: how could our universe happen un-caused? Out of nothing, nothing comes. When it comes to the beginning of the universe, we only have a few options. A much better bet is that something outside the physical universe brought it into being.
2) What is it for something to be “good”?
You don’t need to believe in God to act good. Sure. But God does need to exist in order for good to exist at all. Without God existing, the atheist and believer alike might *think* they are acting good, but it’s only apparent; morality boils down to cultural conventions or species-benefitting behaviors. Why, on atheism, should someone be concerned about obeying the herd instinct, especially when she benefits from it personally? On atheism, is *anything* wrong? Not wrong “for me,” but wrong, period. For example, what would an atheist say to someone of another culture who thinks its good to beat homosexuals?
3) Inanimate matter stays that way no matter how complicated the arrangement. Without an immaterial mind, how can consciousness emerge from pure material?
Identifying a brain state and causally connecting it to a mental state is not enough. Mental states have properties that physical states don’t possess, so the former cannot be reduced to the latter. For example, physical states are third person whereas mental states are private.
4) If the physical world is all there is, is there free will?
5) The last one comes from another blogger: if Christ appeared to you and said that He really rose from the dead and is God, how would you respond? Witnesses and tests confirm you weren’t dreaming–it was really God! What’s next?
The skeptic’s answer to this one will shine a light on his heart and motivation. Some will not follow God no matter what the evidence, and that renders their complaint about lack of evidence as a smoke screen. Their attitude, not the evidence, is the problem.
If you are a Christian, the next time you talk spiritual things with a skeptic, turn the tables a bit! If you yourself are a skeptic, thinking deeply about these questions might lead you to a surprising truth.
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