8 Questions Atheists Want Religious People To Answer (Updated)

Introduction: Scripture Reading- I Peter 3:8-15

Text: I Peter 3:8-22
15 Questions Atheists want Religious People to Answer

By: Krystal Smith (Stapler Confessions) [First 8 Questions; 4 in the AM and 4 in the PM]

I Tim. 2:1-26 Be a good soldier

Discussion: Part 1 (AM)

Why Does God Allow Tragedies?
1. James 1:2-4 Temptations are allowed to test or try our faith.
2. James 1:12-18 True tragedies, temptations, or evil comes from the devil and those that work for him, not from God. God is not to blame, he causes it to rain on the just and the unjust. Tragedies happen whether we are obedient to God or not. Some problems come about in our lives because of our own sin; not diseases and death.
3. Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac; God already knew Abraham’s heart and mind, but he gave Abraham the opportunity to prove himself. Isaac could not die or remain dead, because God and already made promises concerning Isaac and God always keeps his Word. Abraham believed in God and his Word and that is why he obeyed.
If God Created the Universe, Then Who Created God?
1. God always was and always will be. He is an infinite God. (John 12:35, I Pet. 1:23, I John 2:17)
2. The only reason we think of the idea that someone or something had to of created God is because of what we observe in nature. All things are created or exist because of God. Even the things that man “invents” is due to the fact that God created man. Scientists won’t admit that creation is observable, but that is the real reason why they believe logically that God had to be created, also the fact that false gods were created by the imagination of men.
  1. Neh. 9:6 “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.”
  2. Isaiah 45:12 “I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.”
3. Provb. 16:4, 26:10 God created people, but he did not create them evil or wicked. Man makes that decision on his own.
Where is the Proof That God Exists?
1. The proof of God’s existence is all around us.
  1. Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” Rom. 1:18-24
2. People choose to ignore the evidence and not believe. (Adam & Eve, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Jews throughout history but also in the first century, many people still today)
  1. Evidence is not a word that most atheist expect to hear from a “religious” person. Apologetics- giving evidence and arguments to prove something.
  2. Isaiah 1:18-20
3. Just because something can be explained by science doesn’t mean that God doesn’t exist. People focus too much on the word miracles. The creation of everything in the universe, including man, was a miraculous event but that doesn’t mean that the processes left behind are miraculous. Just observe the evidence.
Why Doesn’t God Show Himself?
1. He does show himself, Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” However, they mean literally God showing himself and not a representation of himself or his work.
2. Osama B. and Sadam Hussain rarely showed themselves, but we still believed they existed and were alive, why? They left evidence their destruction. God leaves his evidence all around as well so that we don’t have to see him physically to know that he exists. (Scientific Evidence: Wind, stars singing [Job 48:7- 1932 & 1962; March 23, 2015; Dr. John Pasley from the Department of Physics at the University of York; During an experiment a pulse was fired at the star, “generating a series of pressure pulses: a sound wave. “…the sound generated was at such a high frequency that it would have left even bats and dolphins struggling! “…nearly a trillion hertz…– six million times higher than that which can be heard by any mammal! When they are accumulating new material stars could generate sound in a very similar manner to that which we observed in the laboratory – so the stars might be singing – but, since sound cannot propagate [travel] through the vacuum of space, no one can hear them.], the paths of the sea [Psalms 8:8- Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873) discovered the ocean currents and was nicknamed the “Pathfinder of the Seas” and he told his family that he was inspired by Psalms 8:8, the life is in the blood [Lev. 17:11; In 1620, William Harvey an English physician, discovered the full extent of the blood’s circulatory system throughout the body and provided evidence that the body in regards to life was highly depended on the circulation of blood. It wasn’t until later that it was fully recognized by science when Anton Von Leeuwenhoek wrote his papers on the circulation of blood. Leeuwenhoek is famous for inventing the simple light microscope and discovering the cell; he called it that because it resembled the shape of a prison cell.]

Part 1 Conclusion:

Four questions have been answered this morning and hopefully there is enough evidence and scripture here to help you teach anyone, not just atheists, that might ask these questions.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the substance of things not seen.” (KJV) The evidence of God is all around us and in us. The question is what kind of faith do you have? The devils believe and tremble but there won’t be any devils in heaven, why because “by works a man is justified and not by faith only.” James in chapter 2 used Abraham as an example. It was him doing something that demonstrated his faith. Did Abraham earn the salvation of God, no he simply did that which he was commanded to do. He was an unprofitable servant because he did that which was his duty to do. (Luke 17:7-10)
Are we willing to demonstrate our faith and be obedient to God and his commandments?
Invitation

Part 2 (PM)

Introduction: Scripture Reading- I Peter 3:8-15

Text: I Peter 3:8-22
15 Questions Atheists want Religious People to Answer

By: Krystal Smith (Stapler Confessions) [First 8 Questions; 4 this morning and the next 4 this evening]

I Tim. 2:1-26 Be a good soldier

Discussion:

What Makes You So Sure That There’s Only One God?
1. Apologetics- Only one God and THE God of the Bible is logical.
2. Gen. 1: The account of creation in the Bible is exactly what we observe in nature and the requirements for all life in a logical order.
  1. Plants and by extension, animals, need sunlight, water, and food. Water and light were created first, then soil, and then plants. After all this and in this order, came the animals and humans. Animals and humans need plants and meat to survive, and this is an example of a God that cares for his creation. He gave everything that was needed for survival physically. He also gave them a way to survive spiritually.
  2. Evolution and the “Big Bang”- are hypothesis that don’t make any logical sense with what can be observed all around us.
3. There were no images of God or Jesus until the 4^th Century when “Christianity” were made legal/a state religion. These images were based on Roman iconography or false god imagery. In the Bible, the only images are of false gods or angel worship. Matt. 4:23-24 “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” THE God of the Bible is the only god this was never truly worshipped with imagery of any kind. He never authorized it to be done for even now.
Why Do You Think Your Religion is the Correct One?
1. This question is interesting for sure, because although they will claim they are asking for argument or debate reasons to disprove religion, they are really disturbed at what they believe. Atheism and all its tenants are a religion in and of itself. It takes more of the worldly kind of faith to believe in Atheism than it does to believe in the One True God.
2. The kind of faith that God wants us to have is based on evidence and substance, not a blind illogical faith that does produce anything. Heb. 11:1,6
  1. Gen. 22:12 “And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.” 🡪 Heb. 11:17 “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,”
  2. Heb. 11:22 “By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.” Even though this departure would not be for another 144 years and the Israelites were not in captivity yet, Joseph knew they wouldn’t be staying and he didn’t want his bones left behind.
    1. Gal. 3:16-17 “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.” Compare Gen. 12:40 from the NIV, KJV, NKJV, etc. to the Greek Septuagint, the Samaritan Pentateuch, and the writings of Flavius Josephus; all of these say that it was from the time the Abraham received the promise until the Law was given was 430 years. Flavius Josephus specifically says, “They left Egypt in the month Xanthicus, on the fifteenth day of the lunar month; four hundred and thirty years after our forefather Abraham came into Canaan, but two hundred and fifteen years only after Jacob removed into Egypt. (28) It was the eightieth year of the age of Moses, and of that of Aaron three more. They also carried out the bones of Joesph with them, as he had charged his sons to do.” [Our modern translations were translated from the Hebrew Masoretic Text which was translated from the Leningrad Codex in 1008 A.D. while the GS and the SP were translated from an older copy of the Hebrew text before the first century A.D.; Paul and Josephus were both in the first century and would have had access to the older copies of the text. Also, Jesus himself quotes from the GS. Even the Dead Sea Scrolls agree with the GS, SP, Paul, and Josephus.]
Have You Found Any Contradictions in Your Holy Text?
1. Contradictions, no, but obviously errors in later copies, yes. A contradiction is two or more writings, discussing the same topic or event and not matching up. The Bible was written by 40 different men over a period of 1500 years and there are no contradictions in the text.
  1. Atheists or someone else might argue and ask the questions, what about the inconsistencies in the “Gospels”, Matt., Mk, Lk, and John. These men are writing in their own styles and from the way they viewed the event. This would be like having 2 or 3 witnesses and they each give a slightly different account of an event. If you take all the accounts, then it is the exact same event from multiple angles and a more complete picture of what happened.
2. Even with human errors, God’s Word still gives us what we need to obtain salvation and thus eternal life with him. This was all accomplished before the end of the first century. II Peter 1:3-4 “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
Do You Believe Everything in Your Holy Text?
1. Yes, every bit of it from the God of the OT commanding his people to utterly destroy to the exact same God of the NT commanding Christians (the new spiritual Israel) to love all, from their enemies to those of the household of faith. It is not for me to question the character of God and his motives. We are to rely on faith and obedience to make it to heaven. “Yours is not to wonder why, yours is but to do or die.” God is not going to strike us down, but on Judgement Day if we have not obeyed him and his commandments, then we will face the 2^nd death, which is life eternal in hell. [Heb. 11:6, James 2:14-26]
  1. I Peter 3:15-16 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation [behavior] in Christ.”

Conclusion:

The one true God that we can read about in the Bible, is not willing that any should parish, but commandeth all men everywhere to repent. “Commands”, this is only if we wish to be with him for all eternity, we have a choice. If we choose not to obey, then we will spend an eternity in the torments of hell.
Joshua 24:15 “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Invitation