Combating the Atheist Part #2

Check out our YouTube channel and subscribe! We will be uploading a new video about this subject later this week!

Maybe there are good reasons to argue that the Bible is accurate at the beginning, and that the subject of sin in the Bible is consistent and makes logical sense. If you haven’t already read or listened to part one of this article, you can either find it on Brave the Battle.com, or on YouTube. But why should we believe that the Bible is accurate? Why should we take stalk in anything it says? This will be a huge argument that comes up in arguments against atheists. In the comment section on YouTube for the part one, there were many atheist who vocalized their issues, but many of these issues stemmed around answers that could be found in the Bible. So it is important to know how to present the Bible accurately to those you are speaking to. 

When speaking about the Bible, it is important to make sure that you know the facts. Whoever you’re talking too might see this book no better than a fairytale or maybe an overstretched history book that exaggerated the stories. Or maybe they see the Bible as riddled with many inconsistencies. However they see it, it is important that you make it clear that you don’t just believe that the Bible is true but know it as a fact. There is a huge difference between truth and belief. Belief is personal, but a fact is true whether or not that person wants it to be true. If someone were to say the grass is green, that is a fact, regardless of what anyone calls it. 

When you speak with confidence stating that the Bible is fact, not just a belief, people will be more likely to listen to you. If the person you're talking to voice any of the doubts I listed in part one, or anymore they might come up with, consider saying something like this. “Well, actually the Bible being true isn’t just my belief, but it is a fact. Let me prove it to you.” With that being your starting point, you’re ready to talk about the evidences for the Bible below. 

Why to Believe the Bible

Now the person you are talking to might think it’s fine and dandy to hear all the arguments stated above, but how are they supposed to trust that the Bible and the God of the Bible are the right thing to listen to? I’ve listed below some basic evidences, and next week, I’ll cover some more. 

Evidence #1: Archaeological

The Bible has proven again and again to be incredibly accurate to the finest detail. And the accuracy it’s had with archaeological finds has been so true, archaeologists have started using the Bible so they know where to dig. In fact, the Bible recorded a people group called the Hittites, which had been recorded in the Bible, but had never been discovered or found in any other historic account. Skeptics thought this proved the Bible had a flaw… until the Hittite civilization was discovered exactly as the Bible said. 

And not only that, but the cities of Jericho and Nineveh both have been excavated, and the state which they were discovered matches perfectly with the Biblical accounts. Even kings and other people mentioned in the Bible have lined up with other historic writing proving them to have existed. 

Evidence #2: Written 

Many ancient writers agree with the facts stated in the Bible, like Flavius Josephus, Philo of Alexandria, and Cornelius Tacitus. Flavius Josephus was a historian of the Roman Empire in the first century A.D. He mentions throughout his writings more than a dozen individuals recorded in the New Testament. In these individuals is Jesus. If the person you are speaking to wants to discredit the Bible’s accuracy and Jesus’s existence, bringing up these secular writers will help settle their mind. 

Evidence #3: Objective Truth

I’m going to end this week’s article on this one, but there will be more evidences next week! First, let’s look at what objective truth really is. Make sure that the person you are talking to understands this as well. It is the difference between objective truth and subjective truth, then I’ll explain why it matters and why it is evidence in a God. 

Objective truth refers to facts or realities that exist independently of individual beliefs, perceptions, or opinions. It is something that is true for all people, regardless of culture or religious beliefs. Unlike subjective truth, which is influenced by personal experiences and perspectives, objective truth is confirmed independently of a mind.

So, objective truth is something that cannot be changed, but subjective truth varies from person to person. If someone says they are an atheist, they are forced by their beliefs to say that everything is subjective. But ask them this? Is evil subjective or objective? What about moral standards? Is killing someone actually bad, or is it just someone’s opinion?

Most likely they will have to think this out themselves, so just continue to ask questions until they work it out. If they believe hurting others is objectively bad, then where do those laws come from? Why is there a moral standard that all humans know even if they don’t follow it? Well the Bible says in Jeremiah 31:33: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Other religions believe other things that don’t line up with the moral standard written on our hearts. Use this example of showing them that truth is objective to lead them to the ultimate truth! 

Evidence #4- The Disciples 

When have you ever read a book where the author continually throws themselves under the bus over and over without any redemption scene? As someone who is an avid book reader, I can tell you that I have never read a book like this. Most people paint themselves in a good light, or as a main character. Or if they are being honest, they will make excuses to try and excuse their behavior. 

When the first books of the New Testament were being written, everything that happened, and I mean everything was recorded by the disciples. Even if they painted them in a horrible light. Just think about how many times it is recorded that Peter messed up. Not only did he deny Jesus, didn’t trust Jesus to walk on water, embarrassed himself on a mountain top, among other things, it was all recorded in history forever. Same goes for Thomas, who will forever be called doubting Thomas because of his doubt in Jesus’s resurrection. These are just a few instances where the disciples are completely truthful, even if it makes them look bad. If they are honest about those things, it is only logical to believe they were honest about some of the other details. 

But the person you’re talking to might still have a problem with this. Maybe ask something along the lines of: “If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, do you really think that the disciples all would have been willing to be persecuted and put to death? And some of their deaths were horrific. But when given the opportunity to live if they denied Christ, they did not but chose to die for the truth." (It is important to continue to reference that you are not just stating a belief but the truth) 

It is possible that the person you’re talking to might bring up that terrorists will also die for what they believe in modern times. But there is a huge difference between them and the disciples. Terrorists might be dying for what they think is the truth, but they weren’t around to see if it was true. The disciples would have known if Jesus rising from the dead, was a lie. And why would most of them die horrifying deaths for something they knew they had made up? It just doesn’t make sense. 

They still might try to refute this, but if they still want to die of the hill of the Bible not being true, it might be time to move onto another evidence. The third and final part of the article will wrap up what has been written these past few weeks! I hope you have found this helpful! Comment below if you have anything you’d like to add! I’d love to hear your thoughts below!

By signing up for our email list, you’ll get to hear about a unique interaction I had with one lady about objective truth and see how it plays out in a conversation!