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As I've written several times, you can take most of the reasons a person decides to not be a Christian and separate them into four categories - Reasons of the heart, Reasons of the memory, Reasons of the climate, and Reasons of the intellect. By dividing them into categories, you can more easily prepare to address a person's reasons for rejecting Christ. Of course, to know a person's reasons, you'll have to ask. Don't be surprised if they come right out and tell you, especially if they think you're serious. Most probably want to tell you and most probably want you to be able to address them. After all, they don't want to go to Hell any more than you do. But, they need some help and may need some answers.
In this article, we'd like to discuss reasons of the intellect. Keep in mind that, sometimes, intellectual objections to Christianity can be a mask for other reasons. It would be better to not assume it is a cover-up but it is a possibility. Sometimes, I'll ask the person that if I can satisfactorily answer their intellectual objection, will they then embrace Christianity. If they hesitate or say no, I'll point out to them that they are hiding the real objection and ask them what the truth is. Then, I'll take it from there. I'd rather spend time addressing the real problem than the fake problem. Often, though, the intellectual objection is a sincere objection and needs to be tackled.
Intellectual objections vary greatly and are all over the map. Sometimes, there are a string of intellectual objections. If so, address them one by one. Lets take a look at a few and how one might address them.
Science has proven the Bible false. It has been my experience that, most times, they are referring to the age of the Earth or to evolution. Lets look at the age of the Earth. Now, there are several opinions on this topic and it can be a real hot button. Science estimates the Earth to be around 4.5 billion years old and the universe around 13 billion years old. Some Christians can live with this and some can't. Let me just say this, whatever you believe, whether you believe in a young (6,000-10,000 years) Earth or an old (4.5 billion years) Earth, just be sure to be able to intelligently explain your belief. If you think they'll just accept your position because you say so, you'll be sorely disappointed. The person raising the objection thinks along scientific lines so present scientific evidence, if possible. It would be a good idea to be able to listen to other positions on the matter and be willing to examine them. You can point out to the person that the Bible does not reveal the age of the Earth. Many unsaved do not know this for they have heard otherwise from well-meaning Christians. If the Bible doesn't say how old the Earth is, how could science prove the Bible inaccurate? They have already lost their case.
As for evolution, it is actually true (gasp). There are two types of evolution, microevolution and macroevolution. Microevolution is accepted. That is, things evolve within their own species. All of the more than 200 varieties of dogs came from a single source. Cows can be bred to improve milk production. However, neither dogs nor cows evolved from a lower life form. Species do not evolve into different species. This is macroevolution - the belief that life-forms evolved into more and more superior life-forms until, finally, man evolved. This has never been proven and evidence points to the contrary. Everything produces after its kind (Gen. 1:24-25).
There are other problems. Things left alone deteriorate. Park your Taurus out in a field and leave it there for a few years. When you go get it, will it be a Jaguar? No, it'll be a bucket of rust. Things regress from organization to chaos. If you throw a bunch of bowling pins in the floor, they will not stand upright and organize themselves, even over time. Evolution assumes that all of the improvements in species along the way just happened to happen and all the great organization from the solar system to Wall Street came, on its own, out of a chaotic state.
Evolution teaches that cells were formed out of nothing and with no cause. Yet, cells are extremely organized and complex. A cell has many parts that have to be organized in a very precise way or the cell can't form. These parts cannot live apart from all the parts assembled together correctly. So, how could a cell ever be formed if the individual parts of the cell couldn't survive on their own?
The DNA code of a living cell is like a microprocessor that assembles everything together to make a living cell. It contains intelligent information that must be written in a specific order to work. Each cell in the body contains more information than all 30 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica. It makes as much sense to believe that the Encyclopedia Britannica just happened on its own as it does to believe that a cell just happened on its own. The only way that either could happen would be if there were an intelligent being causing it to happen.
So, evolution is debunked. Evolution doesn't disprove creation, it assumes creation for it begins with something already here. So, where did that something come from? Even scientists have moved away from this stance. Its not a case of religion vs. science. It's a case of science vs. science. Since neither evolution nor creation can be proven, which makes more sense? That nothing created everything or that something created everything? Ask the person raising the objection.
There is no God. We've already seen that evolution does not disprove a creator, it assumes a creator. So, evolution does not prove there is no God. Some arguments for the non-existence of God allude to the belief that everything has to have a cause. Since the Christian God is eternal and never had a beginning, He is uncaused. This can't be. However, you could point out that, while everything finite has a cause, God is infinite and, therefore, isn't bound by finite rules. We, being finite beings, think in finite terms. God is not restricted to what we can or cannot fathom. If they ask who created God, they have contradicted themselves for the very definition of God is that He is an uncaused, infinite being. If he was created, He couldn't be God.
Yeah, but, if there were an all-powerful God, He could destroy evil and, if He were an all-good God, he would destroy evil. Since we have evil, that proves there is no all-powerful, all-good God. Well, you can agree with them on a couple points. Can God destroy evil? Yes, He's in the process of doing that, now (1 John 3:8, 1 Cor. 15:22-28). Will God destroy evil? Yes. All in good time. Tell them to read the "back of the Book". So, there is an all-powerful, all good God.
If God was all good, He would never send people to Hell. Actually, He doesn't. He's doing everything He can to keep man from going there. We have the choice, not Him. Its out of His hands. Its not His will that anyone perish (2 Peter 3:9). As a matter of fact, Hell was never created with man in mind (Matt. 25:41). Truthfully, through man's choice, the entire human race was and is headed for Hell. Had God not intervened, we'd have no alternative. He came to deliver us from our certain fate.
They might say that believing in God is just wishful thinking. Wishful thinking, though, is a strong indication of a sincere longing in the heart of man to know his creator. It is actually further proof that there is a creator that created man with this longing.
The Bible is not inspired. It's just a book written by a group of men. The Bible is one of the greatest proofs of God's existence for it could never have been written had there not been a Divine Being behind it. The 66 books of the Bible were written over a period of 1,800 years by men from diverse backgrounds and from different lands. Yet, when the books are all bound together, there is not one contradiction. They harmonize perfectly. Contemporary authors writing about the same specific subject can't even do that, today. The Bible had a divine Author.
The Bible foretells events hundreds of years in the future yet has not been found false once. There are about 6,400 verses of biblical prophecies consisting of hundreds of details. The law of compound probability shows that for each detail in a prophecy, the odds of that prophesy coming to pass increases dramatically. For instance, a prophecy with 1 detail has a 1:2 chance of being accurate. A prophecy with 10 details has a 1:thousand chance, 20 details is 1:million, 30 details is 1:billion, 40 details is 1:trillion, and so on. Imagine the mind-boggling odds of the Bible being accurate in every detail of every prophecy. Only a divine, all-knowing being could be behind this. Man is proud if he can correctly predict the weather 48 hours in advance.
The Bible contains teachings that are contrary to man's nature. It teaches that the way to receive is to give, the way to life is to die, the way to exaltation is abasement, and the way to greatness is to be a servant. To find life, you must give up your life. Man stresses self-effort while the Bible teaches giving up self-effort. When you think you are nothing, then you are something. When you think you're something, you are nothing. It condemns all lying yet, if the Bible is false, it was written by liars who condemned themselves to eternal torment (Rev. 21:8 ). These teachings are divine in nature, not human.
The Bible is scientifically and historically accurate. The deeper archaeologists dig, the more the Bible is confirmed. It provides insight into the creation of all things and into the end of all things. It looks from eternity past to eternity future. It touches the very soul of man as though the author intimately knew the soul of man. It has influenced millions and whole governments are established on its principles. It produces results when its teachings are acted upon. It changes lives. It is the best selling book of all-time and has withstood numerous attempts to destroy it. It meets every need known to man. It shows the way to eternal life. Only a divine author could have written such a book.
The Bible is also authentic. The earliest Greek manuscripts (copies or fragments of the Bible) date back to within 100AD. There are nearly 6,000 Greek manuscripts from the 2nd century to the 15th century. When our modern Bible is compared to these ancient manuscripts, it is 99.9% accurate. The Dead Sea scrolls, discovered in 1947, date from 250BC to 68AD and provides further proof of the authenticity of the Bible. It is not a recently written book.
Jesus never existed. Well, there is a lot of written proof outside of the Bible that proves that he did exist. Jewish historian, Josephus (AD 37-100), Roman historians, Tacitus (AD 55-117) and Suetonius (AD 120), Greek satirist, Lucian (2nd century), Pliny the Younger, Governer of Bithynia (AD 112), historian Thallus (AD 52), and others testify in their writings of the existence of Jesus.
All religions lead to God. Christianity is just another flavor of ice cream, no better than Buddhism or New Age. This is known as pluralism, the belief that all religions have the same value level. This doesn't stand up. All religions can't lead to God because some religions do not even teach a personal god while others have many gods. Some religions teach a detached God while others teach a God who is very attached to man and man's activities. If all religions are the same, is Satanism the same as Christianity? Does Jesus teach what Mohammed taught in the Koran? Does Christianity teach reincarnation? Could something be true and not true at the same time? No. If something is true, then a contradiction would be false.
There is no absolute truth. If someone says this to you, ask the person if he's absolutely sure that this statement is true. He has defeated his own argument by asserting that its absolutely true that there is no absolute truth. He doesn't even believe it, himself.
These are a few intellectual objections with some possible responses you might consider. It is not wrong to have questions. God doesn't mind if we demand evidence. He provided a lot of it. People who have intellectual problems with Christianity are thinking people who refuse to blindly follow a teaching without logical proof that the teaching is true. Nothing wrong with that. We just have to provide some proof for them to consider. Keep in mind that you can't "prove" anything, even that you exist. Proof is subjective to the individual. All you can do is offer evidence. The listener will decide if the evidence presented is sufficient to reach a conclusion. You can't dictate how they will respond to your proofs but you can, at least, try to provide proof. The Holy Spirit will do His part.
Let's do ours.
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