#70: How Would You Respond to this Cry for Help (part 2)?

Last month I introduced a letter written by a former atheist and, now, a self-described agnostic. [1] Christopher shares his struggle with faith and publicly bears his soul. He writes, “I want to be a Christian. I want to have a strong and sober faith. I want to be able to cling on to the hope that Christ offers . . . [but] I cannot seem to find God.”

Beginning this month and over the next several months, we will examine Christopher’s comments and consider how we might respond. My responses will often be in the form of questions. Remember, AoM consistently recommends that we believers engage skeptics primarily through questions. This enables us to not only learn more about them but also causes them to think more deeply about their beliefs, concerns, and questions.

Christopher’s letter is long--more than 1000 words. Since I strive to keep my monthly notes relatively short, we will work our way through his letter sequentially, paragraph-by-paragraph, each month. This month we’ll examine his first paragraph. Here’s what he wrote:

For context, I was born in a devout Christian family that slowly fell into disarray because of various spiritual and emotional abuses. In the fallout, all of us lost our faith. Years later, as I grew older, I personally realized that an atheistic worldview could not sustain me in the most fundamental ways during times of tragedy and hardship. As Ayan Hirsi Ali has recently called it, there was "nothing." I believed in "nothing," which caused me great distress when I contemplated the meaning of my suffering and saw the existential abyss that appeared before me. My only remedy at the time was to not think about it, to distract myself. Of course, this band-aid wouldn't cure the underlying issue. I won't get into details, but thanks to many people in my life, and thanks to the work of intelligent and compassionate evangelists such as yourself [referring to William Lane Craig], I began to see the claims of Christianity as tenable rather than ridiculous.

Christopher tells us that he was born into "a devout Christian family." My first question for him is, “What do you mean by ‘devout?’” It’s important for us to understand what Christian and a devout Christian actually mean to him. Many people claim to be Christian, but really don’t understand the gospel or know much about Jesus. I said last month that Christopher never mentioned the gospel and that may be an indication that he does not fully grasp the true meaning of Christianity. Given that he also tells us that his family “fell into disarray because of various spiritual and emotional abuses,” they may not, in fact, have been genuine Christians.

My second question is, “Christopher, if you are willing, would you describe these spiritual and emotional abuses?” This is likely a sensitive subject and he may not wish to do so. Perhaps he is more willing to describe what he means by the spiritual, rather than the emotional, abuses. His explanation may help us understand what lies behind his struggle. He is apparently dealing with some form of the problem of evil and suffering (POE) as his comments here and in subsequent paragraphs suggest. 

Christopher tells us he became an atheist as a result of the abuse. So now my third question--actually, questions--for Christopher are, “Why did you become an atheist? Was this an emotional or intellectual decision? Did you consider any other belief systems?” Depending on his answers, I might further investigate his reasons for making such a drastic change in his worldview.

Christopher then shares the difficulty of being an atheist during “times of tragedy and hardship.” He recognized that atheism offered no explanation or real hope when he was suffering. He calls this time an existential abyss. For those of us familiar with naturalism (an atheistic worldview), there is no basis for morality. It’s not objective, it’s relativistic--it’s up to the individual to decide what’s right and wrong. When Christopher recognized that there is nothing behind atheistic morality, he said his only remedy was to not think about it, and, instead, to distract himself.

This is sad. The despair and loneliness Christopher experienced must have been overwhelming. I wonder if he entertained thoughts of suicide. Tragically, suicide is on the rise today because it apparently looks “attractive” to those suffering significant emotional or physical distress and who do not know God. Since atheists believe there is nothing beyond this physical world, the best solution to extreme distress may appear to be to end one’s life. Again, what a miserable and hopeless perspective--a despairing worldview.

By God’s grace, caring Christians--who Christopher calls, intelligent and compassionate evangelists--came into his life. I presume they first offered care and empathy; when people are in the midst of suffering, they need kindness and understanding, not rational explanations concerning Christianity. In Christopher’s case, as we will see in subsequent testimony, he is seeking both spiritual and intellectual guidance. Compassion comes first but answers to faith questions must follow. Christopher is clearly a deep thinker and is seeking to understand why, despite his desire, that he cannot find God.

Next month we’ll continue our study beginning with the second paragraph in Christopher’s letter: “At this point in my intellectual and spiritual journey I have concluded that some kind of God or Highest Being more likely exists than not . . ..”

In Christ, Doug

Academic & Military Outreach Director, AoM

     “Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect . . .” 1 Peter 3:15

[1] Christopher, a self-described agnostic, wrote a letter to Dr. William Lane Craig on August 25, 2024. The note and Dr. Craig’s response were posted online on August 29, 2024. You can read the letter and Dr. Craig’s response here:  
https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/can-an-agnostic-be-a-christian?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=%C2%A0READ%20DR.%20CRAIG%26%2339%3BS%20RESPONSE&utm_campaign=WU%20-%20Aug%202024%20-%20Wk%204