No one is born an atheist. People _choose_ to become atheists
as much as they choose to become Christians. And no matter how
strenuously some may try to deny it, atheism is a _belief_ system.
It requires _faith_ that God does not exist.
When dialoguing with atheists, it is helpful to point out the
logical problems inherent in their belief system. If you succeed in
showing an atheist the natural outcome of some of his (or her) main
claims and arguments, you are in a much better position to share
the gospel with him. Let us consider two prime examples here.
(1) *"There is no God."* Some atheists categorically state that
there is no God, and all atheists, by definition, believe it. And
yet, this assertion is logically indefensible. A person would have
to be _omniscient_ and _omnipresent_ to be able to say from his own
pool of knowledge that there is no God. Only someone who is capable
of being in all places at the same time -- with a perfect knowledge
of all that is in the universe -- can make such a statement _based
on the facts._ To put it another way, a person would have to _be_
God in order to say there is no God.
This point can be forcefully emphasized by asking the atheist
if he has ever visited the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.
Mention that the library presently contains over 70 million items
(books, magazines, journals, etc.). Also point out that hundreds of
thousands of these were written by scholars and specialists in the
various academic fields. Then ask the following question: "What
percentage of the collective knowledge recorded in the volumes in
this library would you say are within your own pool of knowledge
and experience?" The atheist will likely respond, "I don't know. I
guess a fraction of one percent." You can then ask: "Do you think
it is logically possible that God may exist in the 99.9 percent
that is _outside_ your pool of knowledge and experience?" Even if
the atheist refuses to admit the possibility, you have made your
point and he knows it....
Source File: crj0051a.txt
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