I Guess Atheists Rule

This post on Google Groups (Atheism versus Christianity) has to have been written by an atheist. I just can't give a debating Christian (or any debating believer) enough credit, not for the wisdom in the following, but for the honestly:

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.

H/T God is For Suckers and Pharyngula

I had to look up 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, and it hurt my head. But it sort of says that God will destroy the intelligent non believers (they will perish), while the foolish believers will live for eternity.

No wonder Christianity appeals to so many in the third world.

So it is cool to be ignorant. The ignorant will live forever. I just don't understand why Christians have to debate. Is it an ego thingy?

I know why I debate. It is for the lurkers. Those on the fence, who have been brainwashed most of their life. Those brainwashed that evolution is false especially really need to be corrected. Not that the ones debating will ever change, that rarely happens. They are too far gone. It is the lurkers who do Google searches and those willing to learn who I am after.

Again, I like when creationists debate their nonsense on the internet. The result is that they help immensely with the growing number of atheists and agnostics on our small planet, because of atheists like me, who put up a few good links...again not for them, but for their audience.