Questioning Christianity #1: Are you really sure your friend is not a Russian spy?

Well, I’m pretty sure my wife, Melissa, is not. After all, I’ve known her since she was 16 and we’ve been married for 22 years. She most definitely doesn’t seem like a Russian spy. But then again...she is pretty good with languages, she’s good at acting, and in high school she spent two summers in Russia. So now, maybe I have my doubts. Can I be absolutely certain? And can you be absolutely certain about anyone you know?

Of course, this sounds silly, doesn’t it? But this article isn’t supposed to be silly at all. I have a serious suggestion: there are some really important things in life that you can’t be entirely certain about. Questions like, “Is God real? Or a superstition? Should I be a believer? Or should I be secular?”

Have you ever wondered how smart people can seriously look at all the evidence for God (and more specifically Christ) and come up on two different sides? How can someone who was raised an Anglican become a serious scientist and atheist – like Richard Dawkins (a famous evolutionary biologist)? On the other hand, how can someone who was raised an atheist become a serious scientist and Christian – like Francis Collins (until recently the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute).

You could explain it by thinking that on one hand the atheist chooses not to listen to arguments about the existence of God – or on the other hand, a Christian chooses not to listen to arguments about science and reason. But thinking either of these is too simple.

Instead, would you agree that everyone exercises faith? Christians do, atheists do, and so does everyone in between? Perhaps the difference is not the exercise of faith, but the object of faith.

Consider these four ideas to support this thought. First: Unless you’re talking about math, proof is debatable. You can’t prove or disprove the existence of God. He is not subject to the scientific method. The beginning of the universe can’t be tested. Either matter came from itself and supports itself, or God created matter out of nothing. You just have to look at the evidence, have faith in one, and decide. Either way you are betting your life on something you can’t prove.

Second: Everybody has emotional reasons to either believe or not believe in God. Christians have emotional reasons: “I need forgiveness, I need purpose, I look forward to heaven...” Atheists have reasons not to believe in God: “God is a bummer. He is constricting and judgmental. I want God off my back. I can’t believe in a God who allows suffering...”

Third: Everybody has background beliefs that affect whether they will think something makes sense. For instance, before the year 1500, people viewed suffering as a normal part of life. Today, we view suffering as a proof that a loving God cannot exist (in other words, “If I can’t think of a reason why God would allow evil, there must not be one”).

Finally: Almost everyone believes that every other person has certain rights, and that you should be kind to everybody. Do you believe those things? If you do, prove them! You can’t. But you still believe them! (Which, in my opinion, flows from the idea that a Personal God exists – but I’ll save that for next time.)

I know those are some condensed ideas. My point is that all of us already are making a leap of faith to either believe that there is a God or to believe that there isn’t (or to believe that it doesn’t matter). In the future, perhaps I’ll share reasons why some rational people believe there is a God. And in the meantime, I would love to talk with you about your faith. Let me know at pastorzech@outlook.com or jesusintheclarencecenter.org. Happy leaping!

Thanks to the Clarence Bee and editor Emily Stoll for originally publishing this article in the Clarence Bee on August 30, 2023.