Two students we met some weeks ago came both from Iran. The one was a Ph.D. student. He identified himself as an agnostic who became a convinced atheist.
We asked him, ‘How did you become an atheist? What convinced you to make the change?’
He said that there is no evidence for belief in God.
‘Someone who helped me was the atheist Richard Dawkins,’ he said.
I asked him, ‘So what kind of evidence helped you become an atheist?’
He stopped and thought for a while. Then he realized that there was no evidence for his position. He said, ‘It is the theist, the believer, who has to bring evidence for God’s existence.’
I tried to show that actually we have the same starting point. We try to argue that either there is or there is no God. So is there any evidence for either side?
I told him that evidence is important for my own faith. I mentioned that there is enough evidence that points to the reality of God’s existence. He was open to listening to some of these points. I used the Kalam cosmological argument, since both Islamic and Christian thinkers have used it as an argument for God’s existence.
It goes as follows: Everything that begins to exist has a cause. The universe began to exist. Therefore, the universe has a cause. The cause of the universe has to be immaterial, outside of space and time. I said that these premises and the conclusion made sense. Then I concluded that it gives more weight to the existence of a God rather than no God. It appears to be the best, most logical explanation.
He was intrigued by this argument. I also briefly mentioned the fine-tuning of the universe (how the conditions for life in the universe are so delicately balanced as to be, really, almost a scientific impossibility), and also talked a bit about the person of Jesus and the evidence for the resurrection.
To the last question, if it were possible to know God personally and why, he replied with a clear yes! So we gave him our email, a website, and a few names of prominent Christian apologists to investigate further. We hope that we sowed some doubt about his atheism and that this will help them search and find God.
Are you open to investigate the claims of Jesus? Why not start now by reading the story of Jesus and also look for answers for God’s existence and the relevance of it for your life?
Start with one of the gospels, this is the story of Jesus. You can find it here
Find good answers for different questions here
Ruben Visser | Jun 29,2023
Mooi om te lezen Solomon!
Solomon Dimitriadis | Jun 29,2023
bedankt Ruben!