The Atheist Challenge.

The Christian thesis is that you are not in control of yourself.  You cannot change the basic flawed nature of your character; you are a “slave to sin”.  This is why the world will never be stable, as humans with flawed character are running it, their selfishness dominant.

The atheist and humanist believe the opposite.

So take the atheist challenge: For 24 hours:

1. Avoid any of the emotions/characteristics/thoughts, and behaviours listed below.

2. Remove them if they come into your heart and mind, do not do them, do not gain pleasure from them, or allow them to motive your actions.

Good Luck!

Analysis:

Why do these things matter?  These are the things that lead to social strife, abuse, personal pain and suffering, social imbalances such as materialism and poverty, and between nations, wars.

If you claim these things do not matter, resisting evil inside and outside of yourself is pointless, and greed is good (like Gordon Geko did), then what results can you expect? Happiness? Satisfaction? History, other people’s lives, and your own experience will reveal otherwise.

So what?

1. Well, if you can't do them, then you cannot expect anybody else to behave well either, acknowledging that social strife will never cease (read a newspaper).
2.  You also acknowledge that you are powerless to help yourself or others.
3.  You will also become a hypocrite when you criticize others for failing a standard that you yourself cannot keep.
4.  Furthermore, by acknowledging a standard of behaviour is required for human progress, you are agreeing that there is a standard of moral behaviour, which is more/different than the evolutionary need for stronger DNA (see “Intellectual reasons for Christianity”), implying that you believe in God.

 If you find pleasure in these things, will they deliver the happiness you crave? And what sort of person are you?

Jesus said that you need to remove the log (flaws) from your own eye (character) before you can help anybody else to remove the speck from their own.

Recognising that you have no solution to your personal imperfections is critical.  You need to recognise that you need help before Jesus can help you.  And you need to humbly ask for his help.  And be sorry for the things you have done wrong. It takes some people a trip into the gutters of life before they realise that they need help.  Jesus said that he came to earth to fix those who knew they were damaged, not those who believed they are well.  Those people who like and enjoy the evil things in life, Jesus cannot help them.  They will face justice in the end, and fair enough too.

So, take the challenge…..