Testing Christians
Dateline: December 08, 1999
Regulars in the chat room and even the Discussion Forum not only of this site but other atheism-related sites see it all the time. New people stop by and request a bit of our time. Although atheists are generally experienced enough to suspect what is going on, we're usually willing to play along and see what develops. Our new friends commonly make it evident before too long that they are Born Again Christians on a mission from - and for - God. They explain to us that they believe Jesus Christ to be their personal Lord and Savior in the hopes that we, too, will follow their path to Salvation. Their lives have evidently been changed for the better and it is their honest desire that we achieve the same benefits.
| Quote of the week: There is no wild beast so ferocious as Christians who differ concerning their faith. William E. H. Lecky, Irish Historian |
The Question
So, just what are infidels like us supposed to do with people running around claiming to be Christians with an important message for us? You can't seem to turn around without tripping over one - they're where you work, in your classes, on the streets, in chat rooms, posting on message forums... they're everywhere. In fact, they seem to be more numerous around the holiday seasons, going around telling everyone that we should put the "Christ" back into "Christ-mas." No matter what you're doing, you have to be prepared to answer the knocking of a self-styled True Christian and deal with whatever it is they have to tell you.
Do you yell at them to leave you alone? Simply go insane and run out screaming into the streets? Ignoring them may be the easiest route to take - but you won't accomplish much else. There is always the possibility of getting them to really think about their ideas. In addition, there might be the question of other observers imagining (falsely) that the unanswered claims of an allegedly True Christians have some merit. And you never know: just ignoring them could cause you to miss out on some amusement. It is often entertaining to watch a literalist and absolutist twist themselves into pretzels in an attempt to defend the indefensible.
So, you test them - testing can serve to weed out the genuine True Christians from the mere wannabes. There are many different types of Christians, after all, and way too many claim to be True Christians while all the other denominations are just heretics or apostates. As outsiders, we cannot accept such claims at face value. We are skeptics, and we need to test to find out if we are hearing valid claims or just silliness. Some Christians, of course, don't claim to be the only True Christians - but these tests are not necessarily for them because the tests tend to make use only of the assumptions promoted by literalists and absolutists. That is not to say, however, that they cannot give rise to an interesting conversation with a "regular" Christian. You may cause them to think about things they don't normally consider.
False Prophets
Jesus is reported to have very specifically declared: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves." (Matt 7:15) and then later "Then if any man shall say to you Lo, here is the Christ, or, Here, believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the very elect." (Matt. 24:23-24)
In John we can read "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." 1John 4:1
Now, just how are we infidels supposed to figure out which is which? After all, we want the real thing. If we are going to spend our valuable time considering the Christian message, don't we deserve to hear it from a True Christian rather some demon from hell disguised as an angel of light? No Jim Bakkers or Jimmy Swaggarts will do for us - we want a real "fool for Christ." So how do we tell the True Christian from the disguised demon?
This question is very important because the role model all of these alleged True Christians follow and want us to follow didn't just warn us about the possibility of facing false prophets leading us astray. Jesus also made a point of explaining to us just how awful the fate awaiting the vipers and their followers is:
Therefore by their fruits shall you know them. Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to me in that day Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by your name and by your name cast out demons, and by your name do many mighty works? And I will profess to them, I never knew you. Go away from me you who work evil. Matt 7:22-23
It should be abundantly clear that not all who claim to be a True Christian will make it to the great party in the sky. Some allegedly True Christians have gone so far as to claim that only about 10 percent of all self-professed Christians are the real deal. So it is very important that we make sure to give a good look at the people attempting to witness to us. If they aren't True Christians, we may be putting our trust in false prophets and thus buying ourselves first-class tickets to a very unpleasant place.
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