There are plenty of atheists on Usenet ng's and many of them are quite
aggressive and in extreme cases, vitriolic in their responses to
Christians.

Of course this occurs when they feel safe at the keyboard and most likely
would never behave that way in person.

Regardless, Ron Rhodes offers some advice and instruction on how to engage
in discussion with atheists.
No one is born an atheist.

People choose to become atheists as much as they choose to become
Christians.

And no matter how strenuously some may try to deny it, atheism is a belief
system. It requires faith that God does not exist.

When dialoguing with atheists,

it is helpful to point out the logical problems inherent in their belief
system.

If you succeed in showing an atheist the natural outcome of some of his
(or her) main claims and arguments, you are in a much better position to
share the gospel with him.

Let us consider two prime examples here.

(1) "There is no God." Some atheists categorically state that there is no
God, and all atheists, by definition, believe it.

And yet, this assertion is logically indefensible.

A person would have to be omniscient and omnipresent to be able to say
from his own pool of knowledge that there is no God. Only someone who is
capable of being in all places at the same time - with a perfect knowledge
of all that is in the universe - can make such a statement based on the
facts. To put it another way, a person would have to be God in order to
say there is no God.

(2) "I don't believe in God because there is so much evil in the world."
Many atheists consider the problem of evil an airtight proof that God does
not exist. They often say something like: "I know there is no God because
if He existed, He never would have let Hitler murder six million Jews."

A good approach to an argument like this is to say something to this
effect: "Since you brought up this issue, the burden lies on you to prove
that evil actually exists in the world. So let me ask you: by what
criteria do you judge some things to be evil and other things not to be
evil? By what process do you distinguish evil from good?" The atheist may
hedge and say: "I just know that some things are evil. It's obvious."
Don't accept such an evasive answer. Insist that he tell you how he knows
that some things are evil. He must be forced to face the illogical
foundation of his belief system.

After he struggles with this a few moments, point out to him that it is
impossible to distinguish evil from good unless one has an infinite
reference point which is absolutely good.

Otherwise one is like a boat at sea on a cloudy night without a compass
(i.e., there would be no way to distinguish north from south without the
absolute reference point of the compass needle).

The infinite reference point for distinguishing good from evil can only be
found in the person of God, for God alone can exhaust the definition of
"absolutely good." If God does not exist, then there are no moral
absolutes by which one has the right to judge something (or someone) as
being evil. More specifically, if God does not exist, there is no ultimate
basis to judge the crimes of Hitler. Seen in this light, the reality of
evil actually requires the existence of God, rather than disproving it.

There are plenty of atheists on Usenet ng's and many of them are quite
aggressive and in extreme cases, vitriolic in their responses to
Christians. Of course this occurs when they feel safe at the keyboard and
most likely would never behave that way in person. Regardless, Ron Rhodes
offers some advice and instruction on how to engage in discussion with
atheists.

May God bless,
Carl
website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/

---

Strategies for Dialoguing with Atheists
by Ron Rhodes

No one is born an atheist. People choose to become atheists as much as
they choose to become Christians. And no matter how strenuously some may
try to deny it, atheism is a belief system. It requires faith that God
does not exist.

When dialoguing with atheists, it is helpful to point out the logical
problems inherent in their belief system. If you succeed in showing an
atheist the natural outcome of some of his (or her) main claims and
arguments, you are in a much better position to share the gospel with him.
Let us consider two prime examples here.

(1) "There is no God." Some atheists categorically state that there is no
God, and all atheists, by definition, believe it. And yet, this assertion
is logically indefensible. A person would have to be omniscient and
omnipresent to be able to say from his own pool of knowledge that there is
no God. Only someone who is capable of being in all places at the same
time - with a perfect knowledge of all that is in the universe - can make
such a statement based on the facts. To put it another way, a person would
have to be God in order to say there is no God.

This point can be forcefully emphasized by asking the atheist if he has
ever visited the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Mention that the
library presently contains over 70 million items (books, magazines,
journals, etc.). Also point out that hundreds of thousands of these were
written by scholars and specialists in the various academic fields. Then
ask the following question: "What percentage of the collective knowledge
recorded in the volumes in this library would you say are within your own
pool of knowledge and experience?" The atheist will likely respond, "I
don't know. I guess a fraction of one percent." You can then ask: "Do you
think it is logically possible that God may exist in the 99.9 percent that
is outside your pool of knowledge and experience?" Even if the atheist
refuses to admit the possibility, you have made your point and he knows
it.

(2) "I don't believe in God because there is so much evil in the world."
Many atheists consider the problem of evil an airtight proof that God does
not exist. They often say something like: "I know there is no God because
if He existed, He never would have let Hitler murder six million Jews."

A good approach to an argument like this is to say something to this
effect: "Since you brought up this issue, the burden lies on you to prove
that evil actually exists in the world.

So let me ask you: by what criteria do you judge some things to be evil
and other things not to be evil? By what process do you distinguish evil
from good?" The atheist may hedge and say: "I just know that some things
are evil. It's obvious." Don't accept such an evasive answer. Insist that
he tell you how he knows that some things are evil. He must be forced to
face the illogical foundation of his belief system.

After he struggles with this a few moments, point out to him that it is
impossible to distinguish evil from good unless one has an infinite
reference point which is absolutely good. Otherwise one is like a boat at
sea on a cloudy night without a compass (i.e., there would be no way to
distinguish north from south without the absolute reference point of the
compass needle).

The infinite reference point for distinguishing good from evil can only be
found in the person of God, for God alone can exhaust the definition of
"absolutely good." If God does not exist, then there are no moral
absolutes by which one has the right to judge something (or someone) as
being evil. More specifically, if God does not exist, there is no ultimate
basis to judge the crimes of Hitler. Seen in this light, the reality of
evil actually requires the existence of God, rather than disproving it.

At this point, the atheist may raise the objection that if God does in
fact exist, then why hasn't He dealt with the problem of evil in the
world. You can disarm this objection by pointing out that God is dealing
with the problem of evil, but in a progressive way. The false assumption
on the part of the atheist is that God's only choice is to deal with evil
all at once in a single act. God, however, is dealing with the problem of
evil throughout all human history. One day in the future, Christ will
return, strip power away from the wicked, and hold all men and women
accountable for the things they did during their time on earth. Justice
will ultimately prevail. Those who enter eternity without having trusted
in Christ for salvation will understand just how effectively God has dealt
with the problem of evil.

If the atheist responds that it shouldn't take all of human history for an
omnipotent God to solve the problem of evil, you might respond by saying:
"Ok. Let's do it your way. Hypothetically speaking, let's say that at this
very moment, God declared that all evil in the world will now simply cease
to exist. Every human being on the planet - present company included -
would simply vanish into oblivion. Would this solution be preferable to
you?"

The atheist may argue that a better solution must surely be available. He
may even suggest that God could have created man in such a way that man
would never sin, thus avoiding evil altogether. This idea can be countered
by pointing out that such a scenario would mean that man is no longer man.
He would no longer have the capacity to make choices. This scenario would
require that God create robots who act only in programmed ways.

If the atheist persists and says there must be a better solution to the
problem of evil, suggest a simple test. Give him about five minutes to
formulate a solution to the problem of evil that (1) does not destroy
human freedom,

or (2) cause God to violate His nature (e.g., His attributes of absolute
holiness, justice, and mercy) in some way. After five minutes, ask him
what he came up with. Don't expect much of an answer.

Your goal, of course, is not simply to tear down the atheist's belief
system. After demonstrating some of the logical impossibilities of his
claims, share with him some of the logical evidence for redemption in
Jesus Christ, and the infinite benefits that it brings.

Perhaps through your witness and prayers his faith in atheism will be
overturned by a newfound faith in Christ.

There are plenty of atheists on Usenet ng's and many of them are quite
aggressive and in extreme cases, vitriolic in their responses to Christians.
Of course this occurs when they feel safe at the keyboard and most likely
would never behave that way in person. Regardless, Ron Rhodes offers some
advice and instruction on how to engage in discussion with atheists.

Strategies for Dialoguing with Atheists
by Ron Rhodes

No one is born an atheist. People choose to become atheists as much as they
choose to become Christians. And no matter how strenuously some may try to
deny it, atheism is a belief system. It requires faith that God does not
exist.