Mistakes Atheists make when dialoguing with Christians.
Following are examples of mistakes I've seen atheists make when dialoguing with Christians. They are important to know for both sides so better dialogue might take place. First of all, the atheist must realize that making these mistakes lessens his credibility with a Christian and does not help his cause. Second, the Christian should know these errors so he can identify them during a conversation and, hopefully, not commit them himself.
- Atheists often challenge the theist to prove God’s existence only
within the confines of science.
- Science has served humanity well. Through it we have discovered
countless natural laws of the universe and use that knowledge to
make our lives easier in every area of our existence. But
to limit a theist's proofs to the confines of what the atheist demands
is terribly one sided. To a Christian, there are experiences
that science and logic cannot explain. The atheist needs to
recognize that we have experiences that are life changing.
No mere psychological set of theories explains the changes in our
lives. So please, don't mock them. Can science nail
down all that exists in mind, body, and soul? No. Can
it quantify the beauty of a sunset, the cooing of a baby, or the
love of a man and a woman? Science and logic have served us
well, but they are not the ultimate truth to all things.
Of course, that does not mean we ignore science. In fact, we use it in our proofs for God. But to limit the playing field to your set of rules is an improper way to start. It is mostly an attempt to initiate control and keep command of the conversation by setting the ground rules according to your criteria.
- Though an atheist may not accept biblical evidence at support for God's existence, it does not negate the fact that the Bible is evidence. Whether or not the atheist wants to accept it, is another matter.
- Science has served humanity well. Through it we have discovered
countless natural laws of the universe and use that knowledge to
make our lives easier in every area of our existence. But
to limit a theist's proofs to the confines of what the atheist demands
is terribly one sided. To a Christian, there are experiences
that science and logic cannot explain. The atheist needs to
recognize that we have experiences that are life changing.
No mere psychological set of theories explains the changes in our
lives. So please, don't mock them. Can science nail
down all that exists in mind, body, and soul? No. Can
it quantify the beauty of a sunset, the cooing of a baby, or the
love of a man and a woman? Science and logic have served us
well, but they are not the ultimate truth to all things.
- Name-calling and insults.
- Of course, this is obvious. I heard it said once that the man who strikes first admits his arguments have run out. In some of the discussions I've had with atheists, when I've made a valid point in logic, I have been insulted. To call someone a name is to attack the person and not the issue and it closes the door to true discussion.
- Condescension
- This is the most common of all mistakes I've encountered with atheists. I've been told by atheists that I'm an idiot for believing God, that if I were truly intelligent I'd abandon my anachronistic thinking, etc. These comments do nothing to further discussion.
- Straw-man argumentation
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Sometimes atheists will construct an argument against Christianity that does not reflect a true Christian position. For example, one atheist stated that the Trinity was illogical because three gods could not be one God. I had to correct him and show him that the Trinity is the doctrine that there is only one God in three persons, not three gods.
Other straw-man arguments deal with persons who claim to be Christians and act in an unchristian manner. A typical example is the white supremacist who claims to be a Christian and when he does something which is against the Bible, his bad example is used to label all Christians.
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