CD can have a pretty heavy, aggressive writing style sometimes, like that of someone bent on a mission to destroy.
Her antithesis would be Stephanie Dowrick, who has a column in GW Magazine.
[SD is an ordained Interfaith Minister and author who writes reflective pieces on kindness, self-awareness, goodwill to all men - you get the idea.]
In her article, Catherine talks about how she grew up in a Christian household. She now proudly declares herself an atheist.
One para in particular caught my eye.
I think she's got it right on when she says Christians can sometimes get defensive and evasive when asked questions about our faith that we cannot readily answer.
"I question some of my progressive, believing mates about if they believe in Noah's ark, the Immaculate Conception, Adam and Eve, the Resurrection, even heaven, and they squirm a little and try to change the subject.
They get vague, defensive and then start muttering something about faith and mystery and a power of love that unites us all.
Sure, it would be easy to torture them, but they're adults and it's their life.
I just can't see why it's so difficult to have a rigorous discussion about it."
I can see why an atheist (or anyone else) would question the credibility of the Christian faith when we who profess to believe cannot give a decent, reasoned defence of our faith.
After all, the apostle Peter himself tells us in 1 Peter 3:15-16:
15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
Being a believer is not just a matter of faith.
It is also a matter of engaging the thinking, reasoning mind that we have been blessed with.
Our faith is rooted not in myths and legends but in historically proven and provable events.
Some accounts in the Bible - Creation, The Great Flood - may seem to be completely at odds with what scientists have been telling us for years.
This is where we need to learn to distinguish facts from interpretation.
Two people can be presented with the same set of facts and arrive at different conclusions - because they are viewing the matter through different lenses.
These lenses are the starting point of the reasoning process and represent our values, beliefs, biases and prejudices.
Nobody can claim to be truly impartial or objective.
Not even atheists, who believe there is no God.
That in itself is an assertion, a statement of belief.
(You might even say atheism is a religion in itself.)
Our life experiences, upbringing, the learning and working environments we are exposed to, the culture of our times...all these are factors that influence why we think the way we do.
If you want a reasoned, rational way of looking at the issues raised by Catherine (Noah's Ark, Adam and Eve), I would highly recommend these resources:
- The Answers Academy course presented by the folks at Answers In Genesis
- The resources on the Creation Ministries International site.
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