I am an atheist who is actively searching for belief in God.  Is this something that can be achieved?  Can somebody with an open mind shift beliefs?

Sincerely,
Thoughtful

Dear Thoughtful,

Your question is one of the fundamental questions of life: “Does God Exist?”  It is important that everyone asks this question at some point in their life.  It is a basic question that is worthy of an honest answer.  We here at AYP believe that anyone with an honest heart can examine the evidence and change.  We believe in God because of the evidence.

We will try to give you some key points that there is a Creator, but we will also point you in the direction of some resources that may help you in your quest for answers.  So here we go:

1. Look at a watch and ask yourself the question, “Is this designed?”  Of course, a watch is designed – just like a house, a car, a camera, and other modern technological marvels.  You know they are designed because they are complex, they have purpose, and they are organized in a meaningful way.  Now look at your eye, your hand, even a single follicle of hair.  Are they designed?  They are infinitely more complex than a watch.  They have very distinct purposes, and they are all organized in a meaningful way.  You were designed by God; you have a Designer.  If you believe in watchmakers, you can believe in God.
2. The most basic laws of science tell us that nothing ever comes from nothing (1^st Law of Thermodynamics).  Einstein made it clear that nothing can be destroyed; energy can turn into matter and matter into energy, but everything that is here has always been here.  That begs the question, “Where did it all come from?”  Scientists all agree that everything we see had to come from somewhere, but the only logical answer to that question is ‘God’.  God, a supernatural deity not bound by the laws of physics, created all that we see and enjoy in this universe.
3. God’s Word is also proof that God is.  The Bible is a book that only God could write.  It has prophecies that are fulfilled hundreds of years after they are spoken.  It has remained unchanged by tradition or persecution for thousands of years.  It makes statements about how our world works hundreds of years before scientists realized the concepts for themselves.  The Bible is a book composed by over forty different writers over thousands of years, and yet it has no contradictions within it.  The Bible could not have been written by anyone but Deity.

These are just three reasons to believe in God; there are many more that space prevents us from mentioning.  We also recommend you go back and read through the posts in our EVIDENCES category.  You will see that you aren’t the only one who has questions about God, and you will also see that there are answers to every question.  We also recommend reading I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist by Geisler and Turek and Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel. Both books are well worth the read.

Many scientists say the world is millions of years old (possibly billions).  The book of Genesis says God created the world in six days.  Are we meant to interpret the Bible in a literal sense?

Sincerely,
Time Troubles

Dear Time Troubles,

Many scientists believe that the earth is billions of years old, many others are unsure, and many believe in the biblical account of creation.  In reality, the scientific community is still undecided.  The biggest reason for this is philosophical.  Depending on whether a scientist believes in God or not, his conclusions to the data will be different.  Many scientists assume that there is no God before they even see the data!

The Bible does say that the world was created in six literal days, and the internal context of the Book doesn’t give us any reason to read those days as figurative.  Groups like www.AnswersinGenesis.org are finding more and more evidence that backs the biblical story of Creation.  It isn’t a battle between science and the Bible (Rom 1:20); it is a battle between believers and unbelievers.

My husband and I love science, exploration, and discovery documentaries.  They are very interesting, but unlike a lot of people, I believe the Lord made all these things on the earth for us that we may marvel at His intelligent design of all things on this planet and the universe and give Him the glory.

As a christian, I personally believe in the whole explanation of the creation.  I also believe that the Word of God is accurate, time-tested, and completely true.  But what does the Bible say to those who believe in evolution?  These people (some believers included) think the description of how man was created may be wrong because of the way it is written and because it leaves a lot of room for false interpretation.

And, let's face it, I'm sure that a lot of us have a million questions for the Lord about why the Bible was written the way it was and why certain things are not even talked about.  This gives unbelievers reason to try to place doubt into our minds.  However, would you agree with me that it takes more faith to believe in evolution than it does to believe in God's creation the way it is explained?  I guess my question is as I asked before: what does the Bible say to those who believe only in coincidence and/or evolution?

Sincerely,
Natural Wonderer

Dear Natural Wonderer,

Ironically, the Bible doesn’t say much to those who believe that we are all a cosmic accident.  The only verse in the Bible that specifically deals with atheism is Ps 53:1 which says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ ”  From God’s perspective, there is so much abundant evidence of a Creator that an honest heart will admit it.  Statistically, this is also true – even with the rampant spread of evolutionary teachings, only a miniscule percentage (1.6%) of the American population consider themselves atheists.  Rom 1:20 states that God built the universe, so it might stand as ever-sufficient evidence of His existence.

Studying Creation evidence is an enjoyable and wonderful thing.  We here at AYP have an entire section devoted to Bible Evidences, but ultimately, if someone has totally disregarded the existence of God… Psalm 53:1 says they will be a very hard nut to crack.

Is Jesus real?

Sincerely,
McCoy

Dear McCoy,

Absolutely!  Jesus is real, and the Bible accounts of Him are also real.  There are historical accounts of Jesus by an ancient writer named Josephus that attest to Jesus’ existence.  Archaeological evidence of the church dates back to the first century… within a couple generations of when Jesus lived.  This archaeological data is very important because it confirms that the message of Christ spread during a time in history when people could confirm His empty tomb, His miracles, and His hometown history.  In short, if Jesus was a fake, the people of that time period would have stopped a false legend from spreading… but the opposite was true.  Jesus’ church and message spread because the story was true and couldn’t be refuted.  For more information on this topic, we highly recommend the book A Case For Christ by Lee Strobel.

So, I recently started a conversation about God with a friend who is an atheist, and I'm having some trouble putting words together.  I'm starting to get a little fired up, and I know that's only going to result in anger and misspoken points.  I'm posting the last bit of our conversation:

FRIEND: How can one be sure?  An eternity is endless, meaning that all things will come to pass.  Consider this; if you believe in this eternal place, all things WILL happen there.  Will you not one day go mad with boredom?  To say you will never want for more or tire of the same is impossible: you are faced with the dilemma of eternity.  Even if you believe that god is responsible for time itself, do you believe any person is suited to last forever?  I most certainly haven’t met any, by god’s ten standards or my own.

ME: Who is to say that there has to be an end or that new things won't be created?  And I believe that every person has been suited to last forever, either in heaven or hell.  It is only by God's grace that we as humans have the ability to live eternally one way or another.

FRIEND:  So god is responsible for our creation.  So people must be doomed to hell at their creation?  Isn’t the fault of the individual on god’s hand, not on the person?  If suited such, the person has no say in their destiny and is damned to hell for simply being as god himself created him.  So, by god’s grace (in this example, I will choose some infidel off the top of my head, hmmm... let’s say… don’t know… myself, for example) – I am dammed to hell because god made me so.  Tell me, my friend, do you believe I am suited for an eternity of hell?  You think your god made me just to hurt me?  Isn’t that evil?  Isn’t that twisted and sick?  Imagine I was made just for pain.  Now look at your god and look at his creation and tell him he is good and pure; tell him you have never questioned him and his righteousness.  Just don’t forget about those he created who cannot believe.  Then, once you have done that, I beg you to tell me that I am suited for hell for eternity.  I will laugh and go with a smile.  What other use do I have?  I was damned at creation, an eternal dog for him to beat.  Haven’t you asked yourself these same questions?

I need help figuring out a good response to his last message.  You guys popped into my head the moment I read this, so I thought I'd ask.  Thank you so much!

Sincerely,
The Debater

Dear The Debater,

Right now your friend is framing the debate by asking you to explain whether or not you like the way God is (he is wrong on a lot of these points, but, for now, dealing with every misspoken word would be more of a distraction… however, it might be worth pointing out that God doesn’t make anyone sinful – everyone is born free from sin and has the freedom to choose their own destiny; take a look at “Enough Love To Let Us Choose”).  The best defense is a good offense… it’s time to turn the tables on him.  The important question isn’t whether or not we like the way God is – the important question is: “Is there a God?”  If you can prove that there is a God, then regardless of whether you like Him, you have to deal with Him.  It is no different than having your tire go flat on the freeway – even if you don’t like it, you are still stuck!  We recommend that you tell your friend that you can present evidence that God really does exist.  Make the debate about truth, and you will win every time; this will also throw him off guard because most atheists try and flaunt that they are the intellectually honest ones.

The first thing you will need to do is prove that God exists.  Our articles “God Is Alive?” and “Does God Exist?” should help with that situation.  Something never comes from nothing, and life never comes from non-life.

The second thing is to prove that the Bible is a supernaturally written book.  The Bible is unlike any other printed material on this planet.  It contains detailed prophecies that have been documented by history as being fulfilled.  It also was scientifically accurate long before mankind understood modern science, and it has shown consistency throughout thousands of years of its existence.  Read “Who Wrote The Bible?” for an in-depth look at why the Bible had to be authored by God.

These two subjects are the beginning for all debate with an atheist.  Until we can agree that God exists and the Bible is His Word… we simply can’t go any further in the conversation.  Start there and see where it goes.  And if in doubt, dare them to askyourpreacher.org!