"Answering the Atheist" by Patrick Cross

The Patrick Cross Family

Answering the Atheist

When we encounter an atheist it can be easy to be at a loss for words so I often ask them what their proofs are for the non existence of God.  I usually find out that they are mad at something they feel God should have prevented and since He did not, He must not exist.  Others will point out all the negative things that have happened in the name of religion but in all I find out very quickly they have not thought out their arguments very clearly and it takes more faith be an atheist than a theist!  I want to address some of the most common “supposed” proofs for atheism and give you a rational argument for refuting it.

1.  You cannot prove God’s existence.  So what?  That does not prove His nonexistence.  No one can claim to know everything on every topic so even the most ardent atheist would have to admit that it is possible for God to exist.  The truth is that we can empirically prove very little in life.  We cannot prove with absolute certainty that the sun will rise tomorrow, or that we are who we say we are, or that any cause will have the desired effect.  No inductive procedure can lead to absolute proof, not even the scientific method of cause and effect.  Yet we are in no doubt of our existence, that the sun will rise tomorrow, and that cause and effect will prevail in our world.  None of these things can be strictly proven but there is excellent reason to believe they will, just as there is excellent reason to believe in God.  The only reason we can rely on these basic assumptions is because we live in a predictable universe with reliable laws!  The only reason we can contemplate such notions is because we ourselves are complex and rational beings.  There is no other satisfactory explanation for an ordered universe with intellectual beings other than a personal God who is the source of nature and our existence.  

2.  Who made God?  It is true that all finite things must have a cause.  It is the atheist who finds himself in the real dilemma; it is illogical to have an infinite regress of cause and effect and that is exactly what happens if God does not exist.  Again the only reasonable explanation for a finite creation without having an infinite regress of cause and effect is an eternal Spirit being-God.  “God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.”  John 4:24 “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”  Psalm 90:2

3.  A good God would not allow suffering and evil therefore either God does not exist or He is not good.  Well first of all the vast majority of suffering is caused by man against man (war, famine, and even disease).  The second greatest cause for suffering is the consequences of man’s poor choices.  Thirdly, the suffering induced by natural causes have always proven to bring the best out of man such as compassion, empathy, sacrifice, and a shift of focus from petty selfish things to what is really important.  A world without the potential for suffering or evil would reduce man to mere robots without choice or consequences for actions.  Evil in the world proves that there is a sense of moral justice in every human being.  The fact that man is the cause of much evil and suffering and suffering is a result of being a free moral agent who recognizes right and wrong, forces us back to the existence of God!  If we say that some pain and suffering is unjust, that compels us to believe in some ultimate objective standard by which to judge; this can be none other than a holy, just, Creator.  If God does not exist than suffering serves no purpose and there will be no ultimate vindication of evil.  But the Bible declares “for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us.”  Romans 8:18

4.  Science and evolution have explained the origin of life.  Science cannot explain origins.  Matter is not infinite nor does energy have any ordering properties to make complex life systems.  These are the basic laws of thermodynamics.  Today, the evolutionary theory is by no means a universally accepted fact.  The mathematic probability for evolution is ZERO.  There should be literally millions of missing links in the fossil record, but at best there are only several dubious ones that scientist don’t even agree on.  Mutations are the supposed mechanism for advancing species yet science has shown that mutations have a negative impact on any given species.  Strictly speaking, science is observable, testable, and repeatable.  The evolution of one species into another has never been observed, has failed in laboratory tests, and certainly cannot be repeated.   We live in a complex world that is suited perfectly for life; earth is the exact distance it needs to be from the sun for life to exist, one degree closer and we would burn up, one degree further and we would freeze over.  The exact components of gases are in the atmosphere to make life possible; the earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours with precision with a tilt of 23%; without this precision heating and cooling would not occur to make life possible.  There is more information stored in the DNA strands of the human body than any library in the world.  To believe there is no God is to believe that at one time there was nothing and from nothing by random chance came all that is.  The universe does not have within itself the cause for its own existence.  Only a personal, intelligent God can account for an orderly universe with personal beings.

The Bible does not try to prove God’s existence, it is just a given.  “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things have been created by Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”  Colossians 1:16, 17

This verse is referring to Jesus: it is only biblical Christianity that teaches that God so loved the world that He gave His only son to die in our place as a penalty for our sin.  A holy God can be both just and justify sinners by the perfect sacrifice of Jesus.  This salvation is offered freely to all who believe. 

The Lord bless,

Patrick Cross

BMW Evangelist – Ogden, Utah