IF I WERE NOT A CHRISTIAN
I WOULD MOST CERTAINLY BE AN ATHEIST.
AND HERE’S WHY!
Part One:
There is no need for a creator. The universe just is. Who could argue, convincingly, otherwise.
Religion is crazy, thus religionists are crazy: Avoid religion completely.
Who made God? The whole God thing is Preposterous!
The enormous difference among the world’s religions show the absurdity of it all.
Theists, especially Christians, are just afraid of dying. They are looking for false assurance.
The religionists: are they good people? But who’s good? Good deeds only! In our minds we are wicked. Our thoughts are weird, immoral, even evil much of the time. Better to admit it than go on with self-deception.
Part Two:
So why not just be an atheist and forget about it? Tempting, but here’s why that won’t work for me:
—One second I was not a Christian, the next I was.
—I did not want to be a Christian; I was dead set against it.
—Suddenly I had an interest in Jesus and the Bible.
—Suddenly I wanted to go to a church.
—Suddenly I loved talking to Christians.
—People rejected me because of my faith and I didn’t care.
—I left a sure thing, being a psychologist, for the unknown.
—The “Call” to the hippies in San Francisco, February of 1967.
—The casting out of demons. And I did not believe in demons or Satan or any of that, because I was a college grad in psych and I knew better.
—The miracles I directly experienced, which included healings, the multiplication of matter, and a whole lot more. Really staggering for a materialist like I was.
—The defeats, personal and real, yet here I still am.
—Though I was an idiot a lot of the time, God never let go of me.
Part Three:
I tried to be an atheist. It seemed logical to me, but it was empty. It didn’t work.
Would I be a Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, plus the strong lure of the occult with its promise of power and knowledge, no, nothing there either just more religion. And weird religion at that. Then there are those who are not religious, just spiritual. Look out. Trouble ahead, just religion of a different type.
I am not advocating a particular church or branch of Christianity. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And no one comes to the Father except through Him. No church can save you. Not even if you join, get baptized, and jump through any number of hoops.
Find a group of believers in Jesus, there are plenty of Gospel preaching, Bible teaching churches around. Find one. Don’t give up.
Avoid a group that says it has the only right teaching or are more special than others. I admit, it can be a minefield out there.
Here are some questions to ask of a pastor, minister, elder, deacon, etc.
- Do you believe in the Trinity? (Biblical Christianity is Trinitarian, and believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.)
- What do you believe about the Bible? (Is it the Word of God?)
- How is a person saved? (Is it through Jesus alone?)
- Do you hold to the Apostle’s Creed? (Goes to the 2nd century)
- Are you the only right Christians? (If yes, head for the door.)
- Are you evangelical, do you care about reaching out to others who do not know Jesus as Savior? (If it is all about feel good stuff with the big band, head for the door.)
These are starter questions. In time you will discover if a church is good for you.
Last point: It is no simple or easy road, the following of Jesus. Personally, I have been through hell, and back, yes back; I was never left alone. My Lord was always with me and will be with you no matter what happens.
Kent Philpott
December 2018