(This post is a follow-up to “From Nothing To Eternity”)

I just received your answer.  However, it has only spawned more questions.

You say that the Bible says the earth is round, and the Bible has written of this.  But what about all the verses of the Bible that suggest that the earth is flat?  “Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea” (Job 11:9)… just to name one (other than all the verses that talk about the ends of the earth).  And how Matthew talks about how the devil took Jesus to the top of a mountain to view all the kingdoms of the earth?  You can't do this within a sphere.

About the contradictions, I know of one that I've personally noticed while reading the Bible during my confirmation.  (Exodus 33:11) “And the Lord spake to Moses face to face, as a man speaketh to his friend.” Compare that to Exodus 33:20: “Thou canst not see My face, for there shall no man see Me and live”.  This is only nine verses later!

About the Bible being widely distributed, that's not a big deal to some. The Iliad was written more than 500 years prior to the Bible, and it's unchanged.

I was raised in a religious family, and I have a lot of problems with Christianity.  I have never been able to get straight answers on most topics.  I even read Lee Strobel’s book... I thought it was garbage and biased.  I don't know if I'll ever believe again but would really like answers because if I'm wrong, well, I need to know if I am.

Sincerely,
Thoughtful Again

Dear Thoughtful Again,

We’ll handle your questions one at a time.

1. None of the verses you mentioned state that the earth is flat.  Job 11:9 simply compares the expanse and width of the earth to the depths of God’s wisdom (Job 11:7)… a figurative comparison, not a literal one.  Furthermore, all the verses that discuss “the ends of the earth” are exactly the same as when we use that terminology today.  People will often say things like, “I would go to the ends of the earth to find my true love”… that doesn’t imply the earth is flat – it is simply a common turn of phrase that is used in multiple languages.  Lastly, when the devil showed Jesus the kingdoms of the earth from the top of a mountain, you failed to read the rest of the passage.  Lk 4:5 says that the devil showed him all the kingdoms of earth in a moment of time – this was obviously a miraculous occurrence, not a topographical issue.
2. Ex. 33:11 is another case of taking a phrase out of context.  Moses spoke to God “face to face” only in the sense that he talked to God “as a man talks to his friend”.  You have to remember to take context into account with everything that you read.  It is a very common problem for people to “cherry pick” verses out of their context and miss what a verse is really saying.
3. The Iliad is not nearly as widely distributed as the Bible.  The less than seven hundred ancient manuscripts that exist of The Iliad are only in agreement 67% of the time.  On the other hand, there are over 17,000 ancient manuscripts of the Bible… they are in 99% agreement.  A pretty huge difference in quality.
4. As far as your belief that Strobel’s book is biased… how do you account for the fact that he was an atheist before he began writing it?  Also, he isn’t the only author to write on this subject.  We would be happy to recommend dozens of books on this topic if you are interested.

We are so thankful that you are willing to honestly examine the evidence.  You may have never received straight answers in the past, but as you can see… we are happy to offer them here.  This is the most important subject you will ever look into.

I am an atheist who is actively searching for belief in God.  Is this something that can be achieved?  Can somebody with an open mind shift beliefs?

Sincerely,
Thoughtful

Dear Thoughtful,

Your question is one of the fundamental questions of life: “Does God Exist?”  It is important that everyone asks this question at some point in their life.  It is a basic question that is worthy of an honest answer.  We here at AYP believe that anyone with an honest heart can examine the evidence and change.  We believe in God because of the evidence.

We will try to give you some key points that there is a Creator, but we will also point you in the direction of some resources that may help you in your quest for answers.  So here we go:

1. Look at a watch and ask yourself the question, “Is this designed?”  Of course, a watch is designed – just like a house, a car, a camera, and other modern technological marvels.  You know they are designed because they are complex, they have purpose, and they are organized in a meaningful way.  Now look at your eye, your hand, even a single follicle of hair.  Are they designed?  They are infinitely more complex than a watch.  They have very distinct purposes, and they are all organized in a meaningful way.  You were designed by God; you have a Designer.  If you believe in watchmakers, you can believe in God.
2. The most basic laws of science tell us that nothing ever comes from nothing (1^st Law of Thermodynamics).  Einstein made it clear that nothing can be destroyed; energy can turn into matter and matter into energy, but everything that is here has always been here.  That begs the question, “Where did it all come from?”  Scientists all agree that everything we see had to come from somewhere, but the only logical answer to that question is ‘God’.  God, a supernatural deity not bound by the laws of physics, created all that we see and enjoy in this universe.
3. God’s Word is also proof that God is.  The Bible is a book that only God could write.  It has prophecies that are fulfilled hundreds of years after they are spoken.  It has remained unchanged by tradition or persecution for thousands of years.  It makes statements about how our world works hundreds of years before scientists realized the concepts for themselves.  The Bible is a book composed by over forty different writers over thousands of years, and yet it has no contradictions within it.  The Bible could not have been written by anyone but Deity.

These are just three reasons to believe in God; there are many more that space prevents us from mentioning.  We also recommend you go back and read through the posts in our EVIDENCES category.  You will see that you aren’t the only one who has questions about God, and you will also see that there are answers to every question.  We also recommend reading I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist by Geisler and Turek and Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel. Both books are well worth the read.

Many scientists say the world is millions of years old (possibly billions).  The book of Genesis says God created the world in six days.  Are we meant to interpret the Bible in a literal sense?

Sincerely,
Time Troubles

Dear Time Troubles,

Many scientists believe that the earth is billions of years old, many others are unsure, and many believe in the biblical account of creation.  In reality, the scientific community is still undecided.  The biggest reason for this is philosophical.  Depending on whether a scientist believes in God or not, his conclusions to the data will be different.  Many scientists assume that there is no God before they even see the data!

The Bible does say that the world was created in six literal days, and the internal context of the Book doesn’t give us any reason to read those days as figurative.  Groups like www.AnswersinGenesis.org are finding more and more evidence that backs the biblical story of Creation.  It isn’t a battle between science and the Bible (Rom 1:20); it is a battle between believers and unbelievers.

(This article is a response to “His And Her Beliefs”)

Thank you very much for your response.  While it is very unlikely that my viewpoint will ever change, I would love for you to point me in the direction of scientific proof of God's existence.  Like most atheists I know, I am always open to learning new things.

Being married to a christian has not changed my behavior at all.  I was a good, moral, and decent person before... and I still am.  Many uneducated people think that atheists are evil or devoid of morality.  But that would imply that christians are only moral out of fear or that only christians are moral people.  And, in my opinion, that is a pretty big judgment for a christian.

I looked through some previous questions posted on your website, and I have to say... one of them offended me tremendously.  A young woman asked if she should marry her atheist boyfriend.  You replied, “Right now, your boyfriend doesn’t impose his beliefs on you because he is still courting your affections; once you are married, that will change – it always does.”  Again... I consider that a very biased judgment.  I have NEVER imposed my beliefs on my husband, and I never would.  I support his beliefs 100%.  I don't share his beliefs, but I love that Christianity satisfies his spiritual needs.  You also said, “Marriage is a permanent decision; you can’t trust this man to abide by the same rules of marriage as you will.  Religion is the most important factor in a marriage because it affects your morals, how you raise children, your finances, your hobbies, how you treat one another, and a thousand other elements of your future.”  Like I stated before, my husband and I have a wonderful marriage, and although our views on God differ, we are still more than capable of compromising and working together to make our life the way we want it.  And neither of us have to give in and do anything that goes against our morals.  I don't cheat on my husband, lie to him, treat him badly, nor do either one of us force our own religious or spiritual beliefs on each other.  Judge lest ye be judged.

Sincerely,
Atheist Bride

Dear Atheist Bride,

Probably our best articles on the subject of God's existence are "Does God Exist?" and "God Is Alive".  Both those articles provide lots of information as well as additional books and resources that you and your husband could discuss together.

We never meant to imply that all atheists are devoid of morality; that isn't true.  The point is that your basis for morality is personal and subjective, and christianity is based off of a concrete and objective moral standard.  Christians believe that God created us, and His Word is the standard for morality (2 Tim 3:16-17)... atheists don't have that common standard.  We are very happy that your marriage is so successful, but in the many decades of combined counseling that our AYP writers have, you are a singular exception.

Purely out of theological curiosity, we'd love to learn from your experience as an atheist.  Why do you behave in a moral way?  Where do you get your standard for what is moral and immoral?  Would you consider it wrong for someone to murder/rape/torture someone else, and if so, why would you consider it wrong?  Our understanding of atheism is that humans are no different from the rest of the animal kingdom, and animals do all of those things to each other on a regular basis.  Our goal isn't to be rude – but to understand how an atheist comes to the conclusion that it is important to be decent and moral.  We look forward to your insight.

I have been married to the most wonderful man I have ever known for over nine years.  We have a wonderful marriage; we rarely argue, we discuss things fairly, and we communicate and compromise very well.  We are strong together and very, very happy.  There is only one problem.  I am an atheist.  My husband is a christian.  I do not try to change his mind or 'convert' him.  I was raised in a christian home, so I understand his feelings about my faith... or lack thereof.  He worries about my salvation, and he is quite upset that when he gets to heaven, I won't be there.  Becoming an atheist was a slow and emotional process for me.  When we married, I 'believed' in God, but my belief was based only on fear.  I did a lot of research on many different religions of the world, and the more I read, the more atheism made sense to me.  I love him, and his faith makes him happy, so I am 100% supportive of it.  But I cannot force myself to believe in something that I don't.

My husband and I found a Bible verse a few days ago, and I have asked every christian person that I personally know, and the answer is always different, so my husband suggested I find a website like yours (thank you, Google) and ask the experts, so to speak.  I do not know what your experience is, but I am assuming that since you are a preacher, and this is your line of work, maybe you can help clarify our interpretation of this verse.  Everyone interprets the Bible differently, and who is to say which interpretation is correct?  That's where I'm hoping you will come in.  My hope is to put my husband's mind at ease.  We do not intend to divorce.  That is NOT an option.  We have heard that from another preacher, so I'll just tell you up front that although we will value and appreciate your opinion, your opinion will not end our marriage.

1 Corinthians 7:12-14 says:
"To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.  And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.  For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband.”

Dictionary.com defines sanctify as such:
sanc·ti·fy   [sangk-tuh-fahy]
–verb (used with object), -fied, -fy·ing.

1. to make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate.

2. to purify or free from sin

3. to impart religious sanction to; render legitimate or binding: to sanctify a vow.

4. to entitle to reverence or respect.

5. to make productive of or conducive to spiritual blessing.

Our interpretation, put bluntly, is that because of his faith, I get a free ticket to heaven (IF I'm wrong about my beliefs).  My Aunt (who is VERY religious) says that my interpretation is impossible because the Bible says that the ONLY way to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven is to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior… and that my interpretation contradicts everything the Bible says (hence, my atheism).  But you can look for yourself.  The verse I quoted is in there, too.

So... please help us.  Give us, especially my husband, some guidance in our situation.  Thank you very much for your time.

Sincerely,
Atheist Bride

Dear Atheist Bride,

Whenever we deal with verses in the Bible, it is very important that we remember that no single verse can be viewed without comparing it with other verses.  It is the sum of all God's Word on any given topic that gives us the truth (Ps 119:160).  The only way for someone to be saved is through Christ (Jhn 14:6); it is impossible to be saved unless we accept Christ by faith (Eph 2:8).

However, the word 'sanctified' doesn't just refer to salvation.  In its most basic sense, the word 'sanctify' simply means 'to be set apart'.  People married to christians are different than those married to unbelievers.  The constant influence and contact that occurs from being married to a christian increases your likelihood of ever obeying the truth.  As 1 Cor 7:16 points out, that influence can eventually lead to the salvation of the unbelieving spouse.  By no means does 1 Cor 7 imply that the unbeliever receives a free ticket to heaven... we all have to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Php 2:12).

On a separate note, we here at AYP can commiserate with your frustration over fear-based belief in God... we believe the scientific evidence should be the basis for belief in God.  If you are ever interested, we would be happy to point you toward what we believe is the best evidence for God's existence.  Otherwise, at the very least, hopefully we have provided some clarity on 1 Corinthians 7.