Yesterday, I had the immense pleasure of dialoguing with a professing atheist. This atheist is a student at the University of North Florida studying sociology (I am not even going to try to spell her name; she is German, and has only been in the States for about two years).
She told me that her best friend is a Muslim, her parents (who I think are still in Germany) are Christians, and she and her husband are atheists.
I asked her why.
She began telling me that atheism is the only ideology that makes sense, that she does not need to believe in anything, and that those who believe (she would simply use the word believe) only do so because they think they are missing something in their lives.
I turned the conversation to creation. She could not believe that I did not believe in Evolution. She kept saying things like, "Wow", "of course", and "it's been proven" (I am still not sure what it is, or what has been proven). We continued to discuss everything from creation to meaning of life to defining good and bad for about twenty minutes. When I told her that creationism is valid because nothing we experience is not created, cars, clothes, meals, etc., she simply told me that that doesn't make sense.
As I was driving away from work, I began to see that it didn't matter what I said, my new friend was not going to see my point of view. Her mind is completely bent toward atheism and utter disdain for anything religious. I could have argued for hours alongside Josh McDowell, Bill Craig, and Ken Hamm, but my atheist co-worker's mind would not have changed. She is set on error.
However, if the Holy Spirit moves in her life, a simple ray of sunshine could change her eternal destiny!
My encounter with atheism starkly reminded me of how insignificant I am. I can do nothing for this poor, confused college student. Conversely, the Holy Spirit's can open her mind to the love of God, and to renew her through the atoning work of Jesus Christ.
We should continue to dialog with atheists, agnostics, and other nonbelievers, I only mean that our human words and reason cannot bring people to a saving knowledge of Christ aside from the distinct work of the Holy Spirit.
May the conversations continue!
2 comments:
I am so stoked to hear of your being active in this way! And it reminds me of some recent Scripture I have found - first in Philadelphia - which has been a cornerstone: "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will" (II Timothy II.24-26).
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