Herb Myers makes some pretty harsh statements in his letter to the editor, “Everyone Else’s God Can Be False, Dispensable”. Here are Herbs main points and my responses to them.
Statement #1. “No matter how many millions of others believe in a selected “god,” if you don’t believe in it, it doesn’t exist!”
Ben’s Response: This is a classic argument of, “if you believe it then it’s true for you.” I must clarify that Christianity does not claim that truth is subjective or relative but instead states that it is absolute. This means that what is true for one person is true for all people at all times in all places. So my rebuttal is simple, Christianity says that all other religions are false and Christianity is true whether anyone believes in it or not. We must remember that truth is not a relative thing or something that is defined by consensus or something that gets desired results, or even what makes us feel good, truth is correspondence to reality.
Statement #2. “…Christians in America. A belief based in bigotry.”
Ben’s Response: Bigotry, if defined as intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself, is not something that can be levied against Christianity. It can definitely be levied against some of those who profess belief in Christianity but the key is that they are acting in opposition to the Bible. The Bible clearly teaches that we are to love our enemies and do good to those who persecute us. The Bible goes on to declare that love is laying down ones life for another even those who despise and reject you. Remember the teaching of Jesus about “The Good Samaritan” and the clear command to give others the reason for our hope in the gospel with gentleness and respect. Christianity is in direct contrast to other faiths which encourage bloodshed and devalue those who oppose them and demean women & children. Even atheism, when looked at through history, proves that concentration camps and genocide are not anomalies but actions in logical progression with atheistic philosophy. I will give to Herb that when a Christian says, “Jesus is the only way to God!” it is exclusive but it is far from causing another holocaust. I would also state that every time a person who confesses Christ as Lord treats another in a bigoted or judgmental way is acting against God and in Sin but this doesn’t mean that Jesus is a liar or that Christianity isn’t true. It just means that the person you saw acting that way is a hypocrite and a liar.
Statement #3: “All “gods” are the imaginary entity that is going to answer selfish prayers, grant wishes and provide eternal life in paradise to childish people everywhere.”
Ben’s Response: So this is an absolute statement that requires Herb to have all knowledge of “gods”. He doesn’t and neither do I but the statement isn’t as powerful without, “ALL” in there. I agree that there are gods which people have created and those are obviously the products of that persons creativity. But, Christianity is unique and there is nothing like it. You can with scientific process build a case for Christ, the Bible and God to the point that you must either flat out deny the truth or convert. I will not spend long on this point but will instead direct you to Lee Strobel’s website. Mr. Strobel was an atheist and after much research and scientific study he converted to Christ and has subsequently produced a mountain of evidence that demands a verdict. I do want to state that if you take away God then you give yourself freedom from right and wrong and any moral basis in life. So it would be personally beneficial to have gods be imaginary because then no one can tell me what to do.
Statement #4: “The only eternal life is that chemical process that eventually converts our remains into petroleum to be spilled on the earth for our selfish ends.”
Ben’s Response: Can you imagine a fish that is unhappy as a fish and longs to be something or somewhere else? I have not seen eternity. But I can see this world and I tell you there is, at times, an ache for something more. Call it what you want but I bet that many a man or woman feel unsatisfied with the satisfactions offered to us through the world. This very sense of wanting more is the echo of heaven that God created in me. The belief and teaching of heaven and hell are based on the Bible and because the Bible is trustworthy we can believe with confidence that there are eternal states. This belief in Heaven gives hope to us as we face the trials and sufferings in life.
The Albuquerque Journal recently published this letter and it brings up a popular sentiment with many who attack Christianity. Please feel free to read it and make your own comments on it.
Here is the article as it appeared in the Albuquerque Journal; Thursday May 13th. 2010
Everyone Else’s “God” Can Be False, Dispensable
KATHLEEN PARKER makes a good case in her column. Gods are as disposable as used tissues.
Remember all the “gods” you read of and discussed in school when studying history? You could dispense with any of them quite readily because they weren’t your “god.”
Primitive, false “gods.” Inca, Roman, Greek, Aztec, Nordic, Hindu, Etc. Laughable, ridiculous, false gods! No matter how many millions of others believe in a selected “god,” if you don’t believe in it, it doesn’t exist! It’s a false “god” that others uselessly worship and pray to. Perhaps they even sacrificed humans to its honor. It was risible that those ignorant people could pursue such a “god.”
Whereas your “god” is the “one, true, God” primarily because you are one of the “chosen” yourself, right? Isn’t that how everyone feels about their “god?”
That’s certainly true for Christians in America. A belief based in bigotry. As long as some human doesn’t believe in the veracity of a “god,” it must be false. That makes your “God” false, too. All “gods” are the imaginary entity that is going to answer selfish prayers, grant wishes and provide eternal life in paradise to childish people everywhere. Your creator may be this “god”, but only if you worship it.
Are you supplicating yourself and seeking special returns on your prayers? Do you do that with your boss, too? It’s called sucking up. Pathetic. The only eternal life is that chemical process that eventually converts our remains into petroleum to be spilled on the earth for our selfish ends. Or didn’t your creator create petroleum?
-Herb Myers; Socorro
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