One question to ask unbelievers?

I stumbled upon this video from One Minute Apologist. On this video, they claim to have one question that believers should ask non-believers. And even claim it to be a gotcha question that will reveal that atheists just don't want to believe...



They suggest that the one question that all believers should ask of non-believers is, "If Christianity was proven true, would you become a Christian?" It is then claimed that if the atheist hesitates at all, or even says no, that they are being unreasonable or just don't want to believe. Anyone that's being honest already knows that belief in anything is not a choice, so let's instead focus on the claim of it being unreasonable rather than an intellectual position.

So here we go... So if Christianity was proven true, would I become a Christian? Probably not. Am I being unreasonable? I certainly don't think so. It would be unreasonable to claim Jesus never existed if it were proven that he did. And what if that was the case? That it was proven that Jesus lived, died, rose from the dead and was the son of God? I would certainly admit that to be the case and believe Jesus was who Christianity says he was. I'd admit that I was wrong, but I probably still wouldn't become a Christian. Not unless Jesus came to me and said, "The Bible... Yeah, I don't know who wrote that rubbish but that crazy and evil shit wasn't me and my dad."

Why? I've read the Bible. Quite simply, the god of the Bible is not a god that deserves worship. He created the first two people and told them not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. However, he created them without the concept of understanding good and evil. So they had no idea it was bad to do why God said not to do. And furthermore, God is supposed to be omniscient, so he would have known this before he started, but still didn't correct the error. In short, God set them up to fail in the very first act.

Read on and you find God commanding genocides, drowning the whole world for no good reason at all, punishing women for being raped, condoning slavery, killing children, misogynistic rules, demanding a ritual human sacrifice, and then demanding us to accept it as well. He says he wants to forgive, but won't unless we shortchange our morals, and the list goes on... Oh, and he'll punish you infinitely for finite crimes. That is, except for people that worship him no matter what they were like... Kill a busload of kids? You believed, so welcome to Heaven! Oh, you were a good person but didn't believe? Hell for you!

He demands respect instead of earning it. Due to God's Biblical character, I would view it as a moral prerogative not to worship such a vile and hateful being. Would it get me on his bad side? Sure. But at least I'd be able to sleep at night knowing that I was standing up for what is right. I wouldn't be an atheist anymore though. Remember, we're operating under the premise that Jesus is real. Given that, I'd probably end up as a Shinto-Buddhist. Remember, the Bible does allude to there being other gods. So if Jesus is real, maybe the Buddha is too.

Then there's the tired claim that we don't believe because we don't want anyone telling us what to do. Sorry, but if belief in God is the only thing keeping you from a shooting spree, you are the one people should be worrying about. I'm moral without religion, and my non-religious life isn't much different from my religious one. And hey, most Christians ignore most of the rules in the Bible anyway. Bacon sales alone prove that point.

And finally they claim to have talked to an atheist that has never read the Bible. Congratulations, they found the anomaly! Why do I say that? Because I know far more atheists that have read the entire Bible, than I do Christians who have done so. In my experience, Christians tend to only know the bits that are mentioned at their church services. Surprisingly often, I find myself telling a believer what the Bible actually says.

My atheism was a search for truth, and for that reason, I think the atheist they talked to should read the Bible as well. But doing so is no guarantee of the result of conversion that they expect. In fact, actually reading the Bible was an eye opening experience for me. It was a big part of me falling from faith, as well as the discovery that the Christian god is far from the all-loving figure that believers present him as.

So, no... If Christianity was proven true, I wouldn't convert. I'd admit I was wrong, and instead stand up for what is right. That may be rooting for the underdog, but it certainly wouldn't be dishonest or unreasonable on my part.


-Brain Hulk

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