Christians get so upset when someone challenges their faith. This is understandable, as they consider it an integral part of their life. But how are we to have honest discussions about faith and religion and skepticism if so many Christians inevitably retreat to: “You’re being disrespectful to my religion. It’s cruel to attack my faith.”?
There are cruel skeptics out there, people who ridicule faith and insult the faithful – just as there are cruel, intolerant Christians out there. None of that is conducive to rational discourse.
However, I think that many of the so-called attacks on Christianity are not attacks at all, but honest and arguable points. Of course the delivery is important. If a skeptic has a sneer and speaks in a condescending manner, not only is that insulting, but it undermines his or her argument. Such skeptics should calm down – it’s counterproductive, anti-intellectual, and completely unnecessary.
Here are a few points that I would argue in a calm manner, with a genuine desire for honest discourse. I consider these arguments to be valid questions, though I’m sure many Christians will not.
God is a facist dictator. He requires that everyone worships Him. He requires rituals of praise, He disallows the worship of any other, He murders when people don’t follow His rules.
God is a murderer. Say that the Great Flood was a parable. This still leaves plenty of mass murder and ethnic cleansing in the Old Testament.
God is unjust. God sentences people to death for small infractions (such as the case of Lot’s wife) while letting others go free despite horrible crimes (such as Lot for offering his daughters to a mob of rapists), and meting out disproportionate punishments (such as sparing King David for his acts but murdering his newborn son).
God is a misogynist. All women must suffer in childbirth and be less than men because of Eve’s so-called crime.
God condones rape. In Judges 21, God grants his conquering followers the right to take ownership of the virgin women of the slaughtered people. Deuteronomy 22.28 requires a rapist to marry his victim.
Please bear in mind that all of these things are what God did Himself or ordered in His sacred book. I have no need of bringing up the multitude of horrors people have done in His name. These acts are unambiguous and clear for anyone to read. Each of the above statements are therefore honest questions to be asked in a debate about God’s morality. I’m certain that Christians have explanations and answers for these charges, and as a skeptic, I am always willing to listen to them.
There’s no need for a skeptic to get nasty when bringing up these points: the evidence speaks for itself. But neither is there a need for Christians to be offended and shut off discourse on the topic. If you can’t even make a rational argument for why you think God is real and benevolent, why are you worshipping Him in the first place?
