Beads of sweat formed on my forehead. A woodsy smell hung in the air. My pants were wet.
Yep. I was in a sauna.
That, in itself, is nothing glamorous or interesting. In itself, it's another bland post on Facebook. Today though, "interesting" struck. Like a baseball bat connects with the baseball, sending me screaming over the center-field wall, into the hands of a sweaty 40-something guy. Oh yes. Today, "interesting" struck my life. You see, I was not in this sauna by myself. Today, a man named Chris sat next to me. Within a short time of speaking with him, I ascertained he was a Freshman at Gainesville State College; he was in fencing club; and he was an atheist. I also ascertained that I had forgotten a towel; but that's off base. Back to Chris. So! Chris was a very interesting individual; and I found it a stroke of luck (or, you know, the will of God) that our paths crossed today. After a bit of conversation, I was able to ask him why he was an atheist. His answers follow:
1. Levitical laws are dumb/bigoted/etc.
2. Personal experiences lead him to unbelief
3. "Church people" turned him away (Not very different from 2; but distinct)
1. Levitical laws are dumb/bigoted/etc.
Interestingly enough, I find that the Levitical laws/Old Testament laws in general come up often with atheists; but only in bits and pieces. For example, one might say "putting to death children for disobedience is crazy." Now, I will admit, I am extremely grateful that I was born after Jesus. Because I would have been put to death as a child! But you have to see the Law for what it is, which is the Lord's demand for perfection. It's not that the Law is evil, or that the Law is bad; but sin, taking advantage of our human condition, used the Law to entice us to sin further (Romans 7:7-14). The Law shows us our need for mercy and grace (Romans 5:18-21). After all, from the very beginning, our affection and worship is what the Lord was aiming for; yet our disobedience kept a just God from simply "letting it go" when sin was committed. Also, atonement is one thing that is overlooked. The Law pointed to behavior/cognition as sinful; and there are many of them pointed out. The punishment is death by various manners. Yet, there was atonement for that sin by the "sin offering." Blood was used to atone for sin. It's not that parents necessarily killed their children for disobeying (though they, by Law, would have been justified in doing so), but because of the sin of the child there must be atonement. When there is sin, there must be a way to atone for it. The two methods Scripture gives us is by blood or by death. Either way, something has to be done about sin. So, I find that the argument about Levetical Laws comes from a misunderstanding of the Gospel and Scripture as a whole.
2. Personal experiences lead him to unbelief
"If there was a God, then the stuff that happened to me would not have happened." Or, "Even if there is, then Him allowing it to happen means He isn't worthy of being worshiped." These are the two phrases used to sum up a plethora of personal experiences that hardened his heart toward the Father. It seems that this is not a problem benign to atheists. I know at times the "bad" things that have happened in my life (especially early on in my faith, yet still in some ways today) made me question Him and/or His existence. When I talked to Chris about it though, I made sure that concepts of God, or vague, reiterated notions would not come in to play. Basically, I'm not going to hold God responsible for something that Scripture doesn't agree with. He obliged and we gently went back and forth a little more. Reconciling pain and suffering to the idea of a loving God is a problem that many people have, regardless of their religion. "If God loved me, why would He let this happen?" Again, I point to Scripture to guide us in that. Jesus knew what it meant to suffer, to be ostracized, and experience pain on physical, mental, and spiritual levels. "My God, my God. Why have You forsaken me?" was his cry on the cross (Matthew 27:46). In the Garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion he sweat blood, and prayed for the cup to pass (Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:43-44). So, we can take note that even the God of the universe knows what it is to suffer sorrow, pain and anguish. The point to take from this is that God's character is not one that will keep us from all pain. Because of this, we must look at pain as an opportunity to grow. Also, Scripture tells us that the world we live in is a broken world. It's not as the Lord intended it to be. You can't assume that all is from God or as He would like it to be. The Almighty limits Himself for the good of his Creation and to bring to fruition true glory. As agnostic poet Emily Dickinson wrote "Water, is taught by thirst." You can't know the true height of God's glory until you've experienced the true depth of your own condition. One of my favorite authors, Philip Yancey, wrote a book related to this entitled, "Disappointment with God." I would recommend it for anyone struggling with this reconciliation. There is much more to be said, and most of it has already been said by much more capable minds than mine, and so for further opinion I defer to them. (Suggestions: "Disappointment with God" by Philip Yancey, "The Problem of Pain" by CS Lewis [haven't read it in it's entirety], and "Keeping Hope Alive"/"Five Things Everyone Should Know About Forgiveness" by Lewis Smedes to name a few).
3. "Church people" turned him away
This one is interesting to me. It is multifaceted. See, I live in the Bible Belt, where social stigmas are as strong as the sun on a July afternoon. It is very easy for the youth and adult populace alike to carry these stigmas beyond Scripture, to the pews; and from there, out into the world. Certain behaviors that aren't the social norm can be stigmatized and a consequential condemnation ensues (Notice, I did not saying Judging. People seem to have Judging confused with Condemning). Having long hair, listening to "Rock n' Roll," and having a different political affiliation are some examples. Instead of loving people outside of the Church and reaching out, we, in true form of our human nature, react in knee-jerk fashion to what we don't know. So, as for Chris's claim, there definitely is merit. But, I will add a disclaimer, which I also added to him. While certain things should make no impact on the way a Christ follower treats an unbeliever, there is a point when it's no longer about outreach. It becomes more about defending Scripture. For instance, on the issue of homosexuality, a Christian should reach out in love to a brother or sister that has issues with it. Just as Christ loved you, love one another. Yet, the line comes when talking about it's sinfulness. Whether it is sinful or not is skewed to treating someone with love and grace; it's about the truth of Scriptures. This opens Christians up for the "bigot" claim, and being judgmental, but it is simply not something that a Christian can rightly say is not sinful. So, there frames the situation. In some ways, looking past the sin to love the person is the core of what Christ taught; yet "sweeping it under the rug" is not at all what He taught.
Overall, these were my general answers to Chris. No series in apologetics to be sure; but the conversation didn't end with name-calling and fists flying. Maybe that's a start. Instead of trying to be the seed planter, seed grower, seed harvester... just be a level-headed, heartfelt friend.
Thanks for reading.
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