Saturday, October 26, 2019

Summary of arguments in favor of Christianity

Discussions for Christianity, religion and atheism are very common nowadays. The following is a breakdown of some of the key arguments in defense of Christianity against the main arguments of atheists / agnostics.

Argument from atheist
The answer of the Christian
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Religions are fairy tales
This is a generalization. Be more specific.
Jesus Christ never existed
Many saw Him. Many wrote for Him. Many died for Him. What more proof do you want? For many historical figures we have much less evidence.

Resurrection is a fairy tale
Actually the opposite is true: Death is a fairy tale. Which is based on many philosophical dogmas (belief in the notion of change, in time, in senses etc). Read Parmenides.
Whoever wrote about Christ was a christian
They turned into Christian because they saw Him. And they weren’t rewarded for that. Exactly the opposite: They died for that.

God is a fairy tale
Which God do you refer to? Explain to me what you are talking about. God as the First Cause is perfectly logical. Aristotle himself had arguments in favor of that. God as the One in which we all belong has also deep philosophical roots from the time of Parmenides. (just to mention two examples)
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Modern science has made religion obsolete
Science deals with the how. Religion with the why. Even the Global network of Science Academies accepts that. Not to talk about great scientists. In the past religion and science were not separated. They are both needed to reach the truth. Biology is a nice science. But it is not theology nor philosophy. As much as it is related to viruses, it is not at all related to God.
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When I get sick I go to the doctor, not to church.
And that is a good thing you do. Religion heals the soul. Not the body. Nor does it compete with science for the things on this earth. Religion deals with metaphysical matters.
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Medicine heals. Not the belief in metaphysical beings.
Modern medicine relies on Christian philosophy (love towards the weak). What is more, medicine is not in any way against religion, which deals with other matters.
Science will someday explain everything
Actually the only thing that science has proved is that it will never prove everything. Read Gödel.
Science proves. Religion is based on faith.
First, science proves based on unproved axioms. Thus, it does not prove anything. Secondly, religion is also based on logic (see the arguments of Aristotle for the Immovable Mover) and on empirical facts (see the cosmic parameters which have been set to the exact values needed for the existence of life for example, witnesses to the resurrection etc), while faith in religion is by no means what we call “blind faith” but faith which supplements the existing logic and the aforementioned evidence.

Every religion says a different story.
I do not care. I am a Christian. I will not apologize for other religions.

Religion is responsible for all bad things.
No, the exact opposite is true. Atheistic regimes are responsible for the greatest massacres. Christianity is the basis of the European civilization, including humanism and Renaissance. In the colonies Christianity helped countries set the proper foundations for structured free states.
Why shouldn’t I believe in the Flying Teapot instead of God?
Everything is a matter of definition. How do you define this teapot? If you give it the same characteristics that the Christian God has, the name is not an issue per se. If you just define it as a flying teapot then this has nothing to do with God. How can a flying teapot create the cosmos?

Religion is old fashioned.
And that is a good thing. Values should not change according to fashion.
How does religion explain evil?
Actually the problem is not the existence of evil but the existence of good in such a world. And that existence of good despite the harsh conditions is an argument in favor of God. Evil is just the result of man’s free will.
Why do good people and children die in this world made by God?
First of all death means nothing for the Christian but the portal for the eternal life. Secondly, how come an atheist be frustrated about this? If we are only matter then what does it matter who dies? Are you upset about matter? Are you upset about stones? About wood? Dirt perhaps?
Why should I listen to religion to be moral?
There can be no ethics without a stable reference point beyond the personal beliefs of men. If you are a good person because you decided so, good for you, but that means that you can easily decide not to be good at any other point in time. So this means nothing for the morality of your actions per se. Don’t forget that Nazis killed Jews because they thought that this was a good thing (and they even had a state law forcing them to do so).
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Only old men believe in religion.
Mainly young people believe in atheism. Old men are wise. Young men are usually arrogant and ignorant.
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Religion oppresses me.
In 2019? Are you kidding me? The exact opposite is happening: Christians today are under persecution!

Church condemned Galileo.
And was correct in doing so! Read first about something before speaking about it. Galileo was first of all wrong in everything he said, from a scientific point of view! Secondly, his stance was highly arrogant and offensive against a friend of his (the Pope) and during a time period in which the church fought the external bitter challenge of the Scripture from heresies.
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The Church had the Holy Inquisition!
And rightfully so! This institution made its appearance in Spain during an era of constant turmoil. If some of the heresies fought by the Holy Inquisition back then had prevailed (e.g. the Cathars) there wouldn’t be any Christians left in Spain. Remember that the church has not only a theological/ philosophical aspect but also a cosmic one. And the latter is often involved in politics. Try not to mix these three aspects. Mistakes in one of them does not mean anything for the others.
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I am a free thinker, so I believe in nothing!
Actually you are a sheep and for that reason you react against religion. Atheism is in fashion these days, so being an atheist today just shows that you follow the flock. If we lived in the middle ages, you would probably be the best and most obedient worshipper.
All clergy is corrupted.
Many priests are indeed corrupted. But their percentage in the church is smaller than the percentage of the same corruption in society. This doesnt mean nothing of course. The goal is for everyone to be a saint. But no one achieves that. People who go to church need Christ, they have no already achieved sainthood. Should they be perfect? Sure. As much as the scientists should be perfect too. But they are not. The church is made of flawed people. Don’t judge Christ and His teachings via those people.

Middle Ages were darkness.
No. This is a view promoted by the Enlighteners to promote the idea that Enlightenment is light. This view has now been strongly disputed. In the Middle Ages we had an overdevelopment of the humanities (and they need those the same way we need exact sciences). We had humanism and the Renaissance. The first universities were built back then. Actually the whole modern European civilization is based on the foundations laid during the Middle Ages.
I believe in nothing.
Good for you. So you don’t believe that you have free since it hasn’t been proved yet. You don’t believe that tomorrow it will dawn since this is not proved beyond the shadow of a doubt either. Or perhaps you are not consistent with what you believe and believe things which are not 100% proven? Faith is another thing than blind faith. Don’t confuse them.
Saying “I don’t know” is the most honest answer we can give in metaphysical questions.
If you say "I don't know" to everything that has not been proven with 100% certainty then you should say "I don't know" about everything! Nothing has been 100% proven! And neither will they ever! (See Gödel) This is the only thing that has been proven. Are you honest enough to do that? Or do you simply cover up your anti-Christianity sentiments with the cloak of the "agnostic"? Christianity has painted a picture for the world. Picture your own and convince yourself that it is better. Don't hide behind the "I don't know." Culture and science never progressed with "I don't know".
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Religion is convenient and makes you feel better. It is the opium of the people.
The exact opposite. Christianity constantly reminds you of how much effort you need to be good. The last thing it does is make you feel better! If you want to feel better, become an atheist, believe that nothing matters (since everything is matter) and drink some wine. Not for a second believe that Christianity is the easy way out. Most saints became martyrs.
The Old Testament is a despicable book.
Actually it is despicable to say stupid things about things you do not understand. The Old Testament states the obvious: that when you do bad things you will be punished. (Remember: causality is the cornerstone of science. Why deny it in life?) Modern man cannot stand that. He wants to be free and do whatever he likes. And as a spoiled child, he does not like his Father to punish him for anything.
I am an atheist! Blha blah blah blah blah…
Why should I discuss with you? Aren’t we all random sets of matter? Why does your opinion matter? Why does anything matter?
I am an agnosticist. Blha blah blah blah blah…
Why should I discuss with you? Why does your opinion matter? If nothing can be proved, how can you be certain for what you say?
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I am not stupid to believe in miracles.
And yet miracles happen all the time. First and foremost the most important: your very existence. But if you want miracles that meet your scientific criteria, you can look in literature for cases of Near Death Experiences. There you will find many interesting cases published and in medical journals.


Happy debates!

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