A Conversation With My Friend, The Atheist

I had a close friend who is an atheist ask me why I believe in God, another friend and coworker asked me if there is a God why He lets bad things happen to good people.  This is the following conversation I had with both, but at different times: 

When I asked why he was an atheist and why she felt there could not possibly be a God, I was told that she could not believe there was a God because of all the bad things that God allows to happen to good people.  I feel my atheist friends beliefs stem from being brought up by an abusive alcoholic father. 

 

This is what I told them:

 

We are created in God's own image.  God has a plan for each of our lives, but at the same time, He gives us free will.  We can choose to be His child or not, He does not force it on us.  We are not robots.  Because God is so pure and Holy, He cannot look on sin.  He had to build a bridge between us and Him and that bridge was Jesus Christ.  He gives us a choice of whether or not we want to accept Him and spend eternity with Him. 

 

My atheist friend asked me why I believe.  I told him that I would rather believe and there not be a God and just go back to dust in the ground than to not believe and spend eternity in hell because I denied him my whole life (which is the only sin we cannot be forgiven for).  Besides that, I feel God.  When I went to Trail Ridge in Colorado and saw such beauty, I really felt His presence there.  That kind of beauty could not have just happened.  When I had my first child and realized what a miracle birth is, it reaffirmed to me there is a God.  When I went to work at the hospital and learned about medical transcription and how many parts of the body there are and all the components that make up our body and how intricate everything is and how it works, it reaffirmed my belief in God.

 

We, as I stated, have a choice.  We can accept Him or we can choose not to accept Him.  It is His will that we all accept him.  Sin comes into the world when we choose to live for ourselves and not God.  There are so many now in America that choose to live for themselves with no care of whether or not they infringe on somebody else's rights.  To me, our country really started going downhill, when we took prayer out of our schools, we took away the right of parents to discipline their children, we took away the rights of teachers to discipline their students, and then we wonder why our kids are killing other kids in school and why there are so many crimes in our country.  We have become a selfish nation and turned our backs on our Creator.  We are reaping what we sow, as we are no longer "One nation under God."

 

This is God's promise to those who believe in Him:

 

KJV: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.  II Chronicles 7:14

 

We are also told to praise Him in ALL things, even when things are bad.  I love this praise song:

Lord, I lift your name on high

By Rick Founds, Recorded by Numerous Artists

Lord, I lift Your name on high.
Lord, I love to sing Your praises.
I'm so glad You're in my life.
I'm so glad You came to save us.
You came from Heaven to earth to show the way,
From the earth to the cross, my debt to pay;
From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky;
Lord, I lift Your name on high. (Repeat)

Click here to play

The following poem is the epitomy of what a Christian is and should be.  If all of us who profess Christianity lived as the words to this beautiful poem, we would be able to win more lost souls to Christ.

When I say ... "I am a Christian"

By Carol Wimmer

I am not shouting "I am saved;"

I am whispering "I get lost"

"That is why I choose this way."

When I say ... "I am a Christian"

I do not speak of this with pride.

I am confessing that I stumble

and need someone to be my guide.

When I say ... "I am a Christian"

I am not trying to be strong.

I am professing that I am weak

and pray for strength to carry on.

When I say ... "I am a Christian"

I am not bragging of success.

I am admitting I have failed

and cannot ever pay the debt.

When I say ... "I am a Christian"

I am not claiming to be perfect.

My flaws are too visible

but God believes I amworth it.

When I say ... "I am a Christian"

I still feel the sting of pain.

I have my share of heartaches

which is why I seek His hame.

When I say ... "I am a Christian"

I do not wish to judge.

I have no authority

I only know I am loved.

******************************************************

I hope the time I have spent on this entry enlightens some of you who may not believe in Jesus Christ.

Blessings!~

Susan