The Great Debate

By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.  Heb.11:3 (NLT)

Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.  Ecc. 11:5 (NLT)

I have had this little speech prepared in my head for sometime now.  I keep waiting for the opportunity to try it out and haven't had one.  You guys are my guinea pigs.  You'll have to point out my flaws and make suggestions on The Great Debate.  This is my argument to a non-believer.

So what if I'm wrong about all of this God/Jesus/Heaven/Hell stuff?  Let's see, what have I given up? I suppose I have wasted years on treating others as I would want to be treated, honoring my mother and father and loving my spouse, my children and others, trying to live my life in an honorable way with integrity and deciding to follow the laws that our government has enacted and of those mentioned in the bible to the best of my ability.  Although I am not perfect, these are the things I do strive for.  I hope that I'm raising my children to have good moral values, to treat others well, to obey the laws of the land as well as those in the bible (because they make sense and only bring about good).

You say I've wasted all this time at church functions.  I say, yeah, maybe so.  And what did that cost me?  I have an extended family of people that I love, people that I can count on for support, comfort, encouragement.  I have spent this 'wasted' time surrounded by others I enjoy being with, having a fun time at various functions, eating good meals, laughing, crying, sharing.  My kids have made friendships with kids at church and church camp that they will have for a lifetime.  Memories created at these church functions will last a lifetime.  I have to do something with my time.  Why not spend it with people that I love and care for and have a good time with?

All the money you've given to your church, wouldn't you love to have that back?  Nope, I get it back, two-fold.  Basically I'm giving to my church and my church family for the whole package.  I enjoy going to that building and socializing with those people.  I'm glad that there is a place we can go every week without fail, they are always open, they are always serving and they are always welcoming us.  It is our home away from home.  It is our entertainment.  And if you want to get straight to the point of someone only thinking of money, it is a tax write-off...so there.

I believe there are two different kinds of non-Christians.  One is by choice and the other is from good ole plain ignorance.  The group that is by choice is what I would refer to as an Atheist, someone who makes the conscious effort to proclaim they do not believe in God.  The other group is one that I have more leniency for, although I don't know that I should, but I do.  Maybe they just haven't been exposed to the right situations and witnesses that others have.  Maybe they live in a country where it is illegal to talk about Christianity and Jesus Christ and truthfully have never been told about Jesus.  My intolerance is more with the first group, the one that makes the point of not believing.  I do not understand this.  I do not understand how you explain creation, plain and simple.

My daughter told me last night that their youth group lesson was on creation.  She said that there are a group of people out there who claim we derive from fish.  If this were so, we would have more characteristics of a fish, wouldn't we?   Like breathing under water, as pointed out in their discussion.  Yes, that does not make sense.  The Big Bang, what a Big Bunch of Bolgona.  Again, how does that add up?  It just does not.  And hey, I'm not a monkey either.  Although I may be a little hairy, I do not have a tail and never did.

It is beyond my understanding that someone who has experienced the birth of a child, whether it is from a parent's standpoint or otherwise, does not believe in our Almighty God.  Tell me how all of that comes about, how a child is created inside a human and all the parts come together and work like they're supposed to (most of the time) if our creator is not a part of it.  If you stop and think about it, there are just so many different pieces of the puzzle that have to come together, it is mind-boggling it ever does work.  I remember my doctor telling me there are more miscarriages than people even realize because they happen so early on in the process and everything has to line up just right for it to take.  Some people never even realize they've had one.

One of Louie Giglio's videos from the Passion series has an excerpt in it where he talks about the fact that a baby's eyes are just a solid piece of skin inside the womb until one point during the pregnancy, at just the right moment, a perfect slit is cut across where the eye is and the eye lids are created.  Is that not one of the most amazing and incredible things you have ever heard?  I remember watching that, rewinding it and watching it again.  I had never heard that before.  Awesome.  Powerful.  Unexplainable unless you believe in God.  If you're curious, google it, I think it is from his Indescribable video in the Passion series.  That whole group of videos is amazing and Louie will have you so fired up, you'll be wanting to shout from a mountain top.  He has a bunch of different examples of creation and our master creator.

I guess because I grew up in a Christian family, I just don't get it.  I don't know anything different.  God was and is and always will be.  There is no other explanation that I need to hear.  I take it for granted that it's that simple because I just cannot imagine anything different.  Maybe I wouldn't be the right person to have this conversation with.  Maybe these conversations are best left for someone who became a believer later in life.  Maybe it's just better for someone with more knowledge of the Bible because I don't have a lot of that.  Hhmm, now that I think about it maybe this is why I haven't had the Great Debate yet...