Some Christian friends and I have been involved in some very interesting discussions with some atheist/agnostics
here and
here. (Consider yourself warned) I'd like to clarify some things: Not all atheists are 'ignorant' and not all 'atheists' are 'atheists'. Now that I've made that clear as mud, I'll move on.
It's never good when you have to open a blog with a disclaimer: I will probably come under fire for even saying this. Thank you.
I think God can be found in everything. Attributes of God. He can teach us in whatever ways we are willing to learn. He's like a diamond, which has different facets. You look at it one way, you see a collection of sides; you turn it a different way, you see yet other sides. He uses the "foolish things to confound the wise." That's not an excuse to say you need to go to the bar, get drunk and witness to the other drunks. They aren't wise and you aren't confounding. Sorry. Bottom line is, He shows up in different ways. I like to try to find Christian themes in movies and the overall message being delivered by them. The Star Wars series is a good place to reflect on the fallen nature of man and the struggle of his dual nature, a Christ-type figure, salvation and free will, etc.; though you have to sort through the Buddhist and New Age undertones.
This brings me to my ultimate topic.
Horton Hears A Who. Though not totally engaged, I was in the room as this movie played in my home last night. There was a striking resemblance between this movie and many of the discussions I've been having with my new atheist/agnostic friends that kept repeating itself. It's basically summed up in a phrase from the movie made by Kangaroo.
"If you can't see it, hear it, or feel it, it doesn't exist." It breaks my heart that people feel this way, but they do. This is not a slight or indictment on non-believers. But the one thing I realize, and I keep realizing, is that no matter what anyone else tells me, no amount of supposed 'proof' is going to take away from the things God has done in my life. Nothing. NOTHING.
All proof I'm shown against God is things of the world. This fallen earth. Our fallen nature. Well, if I constantly look at things of the world, then it should be expected my view of God would be dim, at best.
The movie revolves around Horton, who is an elephant, and the Mayor of Who-ville, who is a...Who. Horton hears screaming on a floating speck and saves the speck because he believes there is life on the speck. As he talks to the speck, only the Mayor hears Horton. He tries to convice others that Horton is real, but none believe him and attribute it to other things. Naysayers.
The struggle is how the Mayor deals with his newfound "friend." He knew what he knew. As he attempted to explain it to others, he knew it sounded crazy, but he still tried. I sometimes feel that way when attempting to explain God to atheists. I know it sounds crazy. In my conversations I've even left out some of the details just for how bizarre it sounds. But God does bizarre things. Things I can't figure out on a calculator or petri dish. And that's just the way things are.
The tough part for me came last night. I consider myself fairly well educated in the Word and confident in my relationship with Christ. I was at a food bank and I saw some people in there that I had never seen before. In fact I saw a LOT of people I had never seen before. Things are not what they used to be and people are becoming more dependent upon things "outside themselves." They're looking for a hope elsewhere because the government and the banks are no longer providing the services we've become accustomed to. The food bank director asked if anyone had any prayer requests. As I listened to the requests that were offered up they were varied: plain sickness to pregnancy to broken bones and gunshot wounds. It was then that I realized the emptiness that some people seemed to carry. They have little hope in their circumstances and are looking to the church, to Jesus, to ANYTHING that offers promise. I begin to think about these conversations with my new friends and the potential of one of these empty, hurting people coming in contact with someone like them. These 'hopefuls' are searching and the atheists attempt to destroy any hope that may exist.
I'd like to add here, I honestly do not think any of the atheists I've met recently would intentionally force their opinions on someone who didn't want to hear it. In fact I believe the opposite. They are typically responding to people they KNOW are already Christians. They are not going out (that I know of) seeking to further smash the dreams of the hopeless. However not everyone is as "considerate".
Then the conviction hit me. How much help have I offered to the lost and broken? What have I done to ease someone's pain and spread the news of Jesus? In a sense, all and none. But it made me do something. As I came to the foodbank to receive, I looked around the room and began to serve. I helped some frail people carry their food to the car, helped another guy find a Bible, etc. etc. So many times I look for God in the massive things that are far from my reach but don't find Him until I look down right in front of my nose. I see the thanks that these broken people have in receiving what little or great amount of food they get. I see the hope, the smiles, hear the thanks they give to the workers, but mostly to God. At that brief moment in time God is as real to them as the ground they walk on. When they are handed a box of food, no questions asked, the love of Jesus is acted out. Is that reason to believe in God? No. But it gives them a sense of hope and, if only for a few moments, the affirmation that there is something outside ourselves that we can put our hope in. How dare
anyone try to take that away.
I think that's a lesson to be learned for all of us. God is looking for humility, not knowledge. He's looking for heart and character, obedience and integrity. If God is going to bring in a few atheists into my life to help me realize that, then bring 'em. They'll never take my heart.
Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body, but not the soul..."-- Matthew 10:28a
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