I woke up this morning thinking about what sort of post I would write if this were my parting shot – if my life on this earth were to end today, through death or rapture.
And immediately this question popped into my head: why won’t you listen? Directed, of course, to those of the “don’t talk to me about Jesus” persuasion. Those who assume that, if there’s an afterlife, they’re good enough to be welcomed in the best places. Those who feel someone walking over their graves whenever a genuine Christian enters the conversation. Or the room.
A good question for me, since I spent 30 years of my adult life in that camp. Why did I automatically turn off and turn away from any follower of Jesus Christ?
Here are a baker's dozen of reasons for rejecting the Savior and His ambassadors, along with brief counterarguments from biblical Christianity. They’re presented in no particular order; they re-arranged themselves day by day depending on what evidence I was ignoring.
Are they perhaps among your arguments against Jesus?
1. Christians are boring. And I just want to have fun.
This was one of my biggest surprises once I’d embraced Christianity. I had merely been seeking the truth about the afterlife, figuring I would probably be giving up my good times if the Bible turned out to be true.
Boy, was I wrong. I didn’t know what “fun” was until I became a child of God. In fact, since repenting and trusting in Christ in 2000, I have laughed longer and harder and more regularly than ever; Christians can be a scream!
But that’s just the beginning. For instance, I am daily lost in the beauty of God’s creation and His word, the Bible. I have been absolutely blown away by what I’ve learned in lectures exploring real science and what it reveals about the Creator. And I have been deeply comforted through life’s greatest sorrows, traumas and fears, with God Himself restoring me to His joy in practically no time at all.
In short, thanks to Jesus, I’ve lost nothing, and gained everything.
2. Science has disproved the Bible.
This objection turned out to be laughable; just the opposite is true. In reality, the Bible reveals in passing many facts about our universe that have only been “discovered” by secular science in recent years. Just two examples: the sun having its own orbit and the ocean floors having mountains and valleys. And don’t get me started on the fact that the Bible said the earth is round about 200 years before Greek mathematician Pythagoras stumbled across the idea.
For details, read Heaven Without Her, or virtually any of the books recommended here. Or visit Answers in Genesis or the Institute for Creation Research. If you approach any of these resources with an open mind, you will be astounded, and you may be forever changed.
3. You can’t possibly know the future.
You’re right, I can’t. But as the Creator of the world and of time itself, God knows perfectly well what will happen. And He has told us everything we need to know about it via His word.
In fact, one-third of the Bible is predictive prophecy. Most of it has already been fulfilled with 100% accuracy. And the rest concerns our world’s last days; we’re now seeing it all unfold with stunning speed and precision.
4. Biblical prophecy is nothing more than a lucky guess.
Consider this: There are more than 450 Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah. As the Dead Sea scrolls confirmed, all were written long before Jesus’ birth. Yet Jesus fulfilled every last one of these prophecies to the letter.
The late Peter Stoner, Professor Emeritus of Science at Westmont College, calculated the chances of one person fulfilling just 48 of these prophecies at 10 to the 157th power. This is a number beyond our comprehension; some scientists have calculated the number of electrons, protons and neutrons in the entire universe at 10 to the 79th power.
No lucky guesses here, folks.
5. Biblical prophecy is matched by people like Nostradamus and Jeane Dixon.
Not by any stretch of the imagination. You can look it up.
The fuzzy wuzzy predictions of 16th century mystic Nostradamus took the form of vague and unsettling quatrains that today’s readers tear apart and reassemble in vain attempts to make them look authentically prophetic.
And Jeane Dixon? Turns out she got an awful lot wrong, including warning that World War III would begin in 1958. She and her fellow mid-20th-century psychics didn’t even get half of their predictions right, according to those who track such things; coin flips and Magic 8-Balls may well be more accurate.
6. I’m a good person; I’ll be welcomed in any heaven.
Are you really? How well have you kept the Ten Commandments? Have you ever lied? Stolen? Lusted or been unjustly angry with another human being (Jesus’ definitions of committing adultery and murder in the heart)? Have you ever coveted something belonging to someone else?
Or, if you reject the Ten Commandments, then consider this: How much time have you spent in the last month justifying your behavior towards another human being? Saying, for instance, that he deserved your wrath because of the awful things he did, or that she needed to hear the rumors even if they were painful to her? Hint: If your God-given conscience is clear, you don’t ever need to justify yourself. If it’s not, then you are not a good person; you are just like the rest of us.
7. There is no life after death.
How do you know that? “I feel it in my gut” is not proof. Neither is “someone I admire told me” or “I read it in a book” or “Richard Dawkins says so and he’s really smart.”
You’re taking a big risk if you’re counting on sources like these.
8. Christianity is way too judgmental.
What you mean is that Christianity teaches against the guilty pleasures that you and your friends enjoy, right? Or, as I put it in my atheist days, “the God of the Bible just wants to ruin our good times.”
Huge subject, well worth exploring in great depth. For the moment, let me just say this: It turns out that every biblical command was issued for your own good, and obeying them is the only way to achieve peace, contentment and joy in this life.
I know, it surprised me, too.
9. The Bible was written by men – ancient, ignorant men.
This is true, at least the “men” and “ancient” part of it. There were around 40 of them writing over about 1500 years, and they were each inspired by the Holy Spirit.
How can we be sure of that? Because they each revealed things that they could not possibly have known – the aforementioned scientific and prophetic facts, for example. They could only have known these things if they were inspired by someone outside of time. By God Himself.
10. I prefer _____________ (the New Age, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, whatever).
So what? Are you interested in truth or fashion? (And, I should add, just try to find proof of any system of belief other than Christianity. It doesn't exist.)
11. Christianity oppresses women.
Another laughable charge. The Bible is set among ancient cultures that were practically misogynistic by today’s standards. Examine how women are treated in its pages. And observe Jesus’ behavior towards women. There's nothing oppressive about it.
Yes, God established sex-based roles and rules for the family and the church. And He instructed women to be submissive to their husbands. But at the same time, He commanded men to honor their wives. Seems like a good deal to me.
Besides, it’s His creation. He had a right to set things up however He wanted to.
12. With all the suffering and evil in the world, this God of yours is either powerless or evil Himself. More likely, He doesn't exist at all.
The Bible gives us many reasons that the Lord allows great tribulation in our lives. He can use it to guide or discipline us. He can use it to accomplish His purposes or display His power. He can use it to impact our loved ones. And He can use it to get our attention, especially if we are unbelievers.
If you are suffering today – physically, emotionally, financially, or spiritually – perhaps God is trying to get your attention. Rest assured that He knows about it, controls it, and is at work in your life. Please understand that this may be the only way He’ll ever be able to get your attention, and therefore to save you for all eternity – putting you irrevocably on the path to heaven, as promised in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Will it work? That’s up to you. I pray it will!
13. My loving god would not send anyone to hell.
You’re right, he or she would not. That’s because he or she does not exist. Am I wrong? Where’s your proof?
The God of the Bible is love. He doesn’t send people to hell. Instead, He made a way for every human being to spend eternity with Him in heaven – a way that requires us to simply repent of what He says is sin, and trust in Jesus Christ to have paid our entire sin debt on the cross. Do that sincerely, and you’ll be clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ for all eternity.
Is that too much to ask of you? Then you’ll have to stand in front of Him in judgment one day, and explain why you’re perfect enough to be allowed into His perfect heaven. You won’t be able to. And then there will be only one possible destination for you for all eternity.
That’s not even the
tip of the iceberg
Entire books can be and have been written on each of these subjects. Why, I could probably write entire books on them myself, off the top of my head, so obvious is truth once you start seeking it.
Do these points cover your key arguments against Christianity? Or do you have some that are uniquely your own? If so, I guarantee that committed Christians everywhere would love to hear them. Please feel free to insert them in the comments section below.
In the meantime, just consider this: There is not an argument against Christianity that cannot be easily addressed and overcome. I undoubtedly suspected this as an atheist, which is probably why I worked so hard to avoid anything even remotely related to Jesus.
I have many regrets in this life, but the biggest is that I didn’t seek truth when I was young.
The good news is that, as long as you’re still breathing, it’s not too late. But don’t miss that final deadline. As Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). Don't wait another day.
And immediately this question popped into my head: why won’t you listen? Directed, of course, to those of the “don’t talk to me about Jesus” persuasion. Those who assume that, if there’s an afterlife, they’re good enough to be welcomed in the best places. Those who feel someone walking over their graves whenever a genuine Christian enters the conversation. Or the room.
A good question for me, since I spent 30 years of my adult life in that camp. Why did I automatically turn off and turn away from any follower of Jesus Christ?
Here are a baker's dozen of reasons for rejecting the Savior and His ambassadors, along with brief counterarguments from biblical Christianity. They’re presented in no particular order; they re-arranged themselves day by day depending on what evidence I was ignoring.
Are they perhaps among your arguments against Jesus?
1. Christians are boring. And I just want to have fun.
This was one of my biggest surprises once I’d embraced Christianity. I had merely been seeking the truth about the afterlife, figuring I would probably be giving up my good times if the Bible turned out to be true.
Boy, was I wrong. I didn’t know what “fun” was until I became a child of God. In fact, since repenting and trusting in Christ in 2000, I have laughed longer and harder and more regularly than ever; Christians can be a scream!
But that’s just the beginning. For instance, I am daily lost in the beauty of God’s creation and His word, the Bible. I have been absolutely blown away by what I’ve learned in lectures exploring real science and what it reveals about the Creator. And I have been deeply comforted through life’s greatest sorrows, traumas and fears, with God Himself restoring me to His joy in practically no time at all.
In short, thanks to Jesus, I’ve lost nothing, and gained everything.
2. Science has disproved the Bible.
This objection turned out to be laughable; just the opposite is true. In reality, the Bible reveals in passing many facts about our universe that have only been “discovered” by secular science in recent years. Just two examples: the sun having its own orbit and the ocean floors having mountains and valleys. And don’t get me started on the fact that the Bible said the earth is round about 200 years before Greek mathematician Pythagoras stumbled across the idea.
For details, read Heaven Without Her, or virtually any of the books recommended here. Or visit Answers in Genesis or the Institute for Creation Research. If you approach any of these resources with an open mind, you will be astounded, and you may be forever changed.
3. You can’t possibly know the future.
You’re right, I can’t. But as the Creator of the world and of time itself, God knows perfectly well what will happen. And He has told us everything we need to know about it via His word.
In fact, one-third of the Bible is predictive prophecy. Most of it has already been fulfilled with 100% accuracy. And the rest concerns our world’s last days; we’re now seeing it all unfold with stunning speed and precision.
4. Biblical prophecy is nothing more than a lucky guess.
Consider this: There are more than 450 Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah. As the Dead Sea scrolls confirmed, all were written long before Jesus’ birth. Yet Jesus fulfilled every last one of these prophecies to the letter.
The late Peter Stoner, Professor Emeritus of Science at Westmont College, calculated the chances of one person fulfilling just 48 of these prophecies at 10 to the 157th power. This is a number beyond our comprehension; some scientists have calculated the number of electrons, protons and neutrons in the entire universe at 10 to the 79th power.
No lucky guesses here, folks.
5. Biblical prophecy is matched by people like Nostradamus and Jeane Dixon.
Not by any stretch of the imagination. You can look it up.
The fuzzy wuzzy predictions of 16th century mystic Nostradamus took the form of vague and unsettling quatrains that today’s readers tear apart and reassemble in vain attempts to make them look authentically prophetic.
And Jeane Dixon? Turns out she got an awful lot wrong, including warning that World War III would begin in 1958. She and her fellow mid-20th-century psychics didn’t even get half of their predictions right, according to those who track such things; coin flips and Magic 8-Balls may well be more accurate.
6. I’m a good person; I’ll be welcomed in any heaven.
Are you really? How well have you kept the Ten Commandments? Have you ever lied? Stolen? Lusted or been unjustly angry with another human being (Jesus’ definitions of committing adultery and murder in the heart)? Have you ever coveted something belonging to someone else?
Or, if you reject the Ten Commandments, then consider this: How much time have you spent in the last month justifying your behavior towards another human being? Saying, for instance, that he deserved your wrath because of the awful things he did, or that she needed to hear the rumors even if they were painful to her? Hint: If your God-given conscience is clear, you don’t ever need to justify yourself. If it’s not, then you are not a good person; you are just like the rest of us.
7. There is no life after death.
How do you know that? “I feel it in my gut” is not proof. Neither is “someone I admire told me” or “I read it in a book” or “Richard Dawkins says so and he’s really smart.”
You’re taking a big risk if you’re counting on sources like these.
8. Christianity is way too judgmental.
What you mean is that Christianity teaches against the guilty pleasures that you and your friends enjoy, right? Or, as I put it in my atheist days, “the God of the Bible just wants to ruin our good times.”
Huge subject, well worth exploring in great depth. For the moment, let me just say this: It turns out that every biblical command was issued for your own good, and obeying them is the only way to achieve peace, contentment and joy in this life.
I know, it surprised me, too.
9. The Bible was written by men – ancient, ignorant men.
This is true, at least the “men” and “ancient” part of it. There were around 40 of them writing over about 1500 years, and they were each inspired by the Holy Spirit.
How can we be sure of that? Because they each revealed things that they could not possibly have known – the aforementioned scientific and prophetic facts, for example. They could only have known these things if they were inspired by someone outside of time. By God Himself.
10. I prefer _____________ (the New Age, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, whatever).
So what? Are you interested in truth or fashion? (And, I should add, just try to find proof of any system of belief other than Christianity. It doesn't exist.)
11. Christianity oppresses women.
Another laughable charge. The Bible is set among ancient cultures that were practically misogynistic by today’s standards. Examine how women are treated in its pages. And observe Jesus’ behavior towards women. There's nothing oppressive about it.
Yes, God established sex-based roles and rules for the family and the church. And He instructed women to be submissive to their husbands. But at the same time, He commanded men to honor their wives. Seems like a good deal to me.
Besides, it’s His creation. He had a right to set things up however He wanted to.
12. With all the suffering and evil in the world, this God of yours is either powerless or evil Himself. More likely, He doesn't exist at all.
The Bible gives us many reasons that the Lord allows great tribulation in our lives. He can use it to guide or discipline us. He can use it to accomplish His purposes or display His power. He can use it to impact our loved ones. And He can use it to get our attention, especially if we are unbelievers.
If you are suffering today – physically, emotionally, financially, or spiritually – perhaps God is trying to get your attention. Rest assured that He knows about it, controls it, and is at work in your life. Please understand that this may be the only way He’ll ever be able to get your attention, and therefore to save you for all eternity – putting you irrevocably on the path to heaven, as promised in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Will it work? That’s up to you. I pray it will!
13. My loving god would not send anyone to hell.
You’re right, he or she would not. That’s because he or she does not exist. Am I wrong? Where’s your proof?
The God of the Bible is love. He doesn’t send people to hell. Instead, He made a way for every human being to spend eternity with Him in heaven – a way that requires us to simply repent of what He says is sin, and trust in Jesus Christ to have paid our entire sin debt on the cross. Do that sincerely, and you’ll be clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ for all eternity.
Is that too much to ask of you? Then you’ll have to stand in front of Him in judgment one day, and explain why you’re perfect enough to be allowed into His perfect heaven. You won’t be able to. And then there will be only one possible destination for you for all eternity.
That’s not even the
tip of the iceberg
Entire books can be and have been written on each of these subjects. Why, I could probably write entire books on them myself, off the top of my head, so obvious is truth once you start seeking it.
Do these points cover your key arguments against Christianity? Or do you have some that are uniquely your own? If so, I guarantee that committed Christians everywhere would love to hear them. Please feel free to insert them in the comments section below.
In the meantime, just consider this: There is not an argument against Christianity that cannot be easily addressed and overcome. I undoubtedly suspected this as an atheist, which is probably why I worked so hard to avoid anything even remotely related to Jesus.
I have many regrets in this life, but the biggest is that I didn’t seek truth when I was young.
The good news is that, as long as you’re still breathing, it’s not too late. But don’t miss that final deadline. As Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). Don't wait another day.
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