John Lennox: I’m a Christian because I was encouraged to think

Prof John Lennox explains why his upbringing gave him a robust faith as he went on to Cambridge University.
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This is an extract from Dave Rubin and Prof John Lennox in dialogue. Episode 5 | Season 2 of The Big Conversation.
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[@stephanieakudo8058]

Yes! The living God does invite us to reason together with him. Bcos ... He's not afraid of our little minds; He's all ready to stretch it with wisdom, knowledge and understanding while being tebder and loving and kind and full of faith to us.

[@lightningbrigade4722]

Mr. Lennox your a breath of fresh air. When I'm down and out your videos seem to make me feel better.

[@Netomp51]

why is that ? I also find his words heal, it’s crazy, I’m starting to think is really his beliefs

[@Yesica1993]

Such a highly intelligent but also charming man!

[@biggregg5]

I guess he has some charm and charisma, but not so smart.

[@boringname3657]

@@biggregg5 Cope

[@biggregg5]

@@boringname3657 What do you mean by that? Nonsense comment.

[@otienoroberts]

@@biggregg5 so you are a professor in what field then?

[@biggregg5]

@@otienoroberts You're 3 years late to the party.

[@ActuarialNinja]

What an amazing role model John Lennox is! I am thankful for him and people like him eloquently voicing the case for Christianity.

[@freezingka3730]

Yes ...an amazing model of a Dr in mathematics ignorantly speaking about biology an astophysics. If you needed a brain surgery would you let a professional ventriloquist to carry it out?

[@ramboiii5849]

@@freezingka3730 And what Dr are you?

[@ActuarialNinja]

@@freezingka3730 Where did Prof. Lennox speak ignorantly about either biology or astrophysics? Please provide some examples.

[@electricspark5271]

@@freezingka3730 Like Richard Dawkins never talks about theology.... 😂😂😂 your such a hypocrit....

[@freezingka3730]

@@ramboiii5849 "And what Dr are you?" My doctorate specialization is completely irrelevant for lennox to prove his god exists and for me to prove lennox is a complete idiot.

[@samueldani4283]

I'm surprised at the youtube ATHEIST in the comments section. they are like someone who hates his ex-wife but always stalks his ex-wife and listens to what his ex-wife is talking about but doesn't like what her ex-wife is talking about, but still wants to listen right ... oh maybe I'm just delusional

[@mr.c2485]

samuel dani Probably. Who doesn’t look for confirmation for a thought or opinion that they really want to be true? If you make a purchase...say a car and multiple people say it’s has problems and is a potential lemon, will you not go look for confirmation? This is to assume you know nothing about vehicles just like you assume atheists know nothing about god.

[@SelectHawk]

I am subscribed to this channel because I enjoy listening to the debates. I still have yet to hear a compelling argument for Christianity, but I enjoy hearing what people think. I suspect that a lot of my fellow atheists are tempted to comment because Christians misrepresent our beliefs on a not-infrequent basis. I certainly don't hate Christians, although I am not the biggest fan of certain aspects of Christianity. Probably close to half of my friends and most of my extended family, are quite religious. I can disagree with parts of their worldview without hating them. I just wish they had a more rigorous approach to how they viewed the world. I don't think anyone objects to the sentiments John Lennox brings up here.

[@samueldani4283]

@@mr.c2485 yeah after u decide car have problem and don't like it what u would do next ? I assume atheist don't wanna know about god

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

We're still waiting for evidence for God, got any yet?

[@samueldani4283]

@@crazyprayingmantis5596 why u need evidence God , a thought atheist claim God don't exist.

[@penglim224]

Praise GOD that GOD is real. Wonderful testimony.

[@sgorgardr227]

That is a good point - many your chritians who became atheists never thought about christianity for themselves, so they didn't get to settle stuff up. But again, if you born in secular society and exposed to secular society, it's like paganism - what surrounding believe, they would want to try put this onto you. I underestood that very quickly as a kid, and i did not let that happen.

[@biggregg5]

Someone help me out....of an entire thread gets erased, is it JB, or could it be the guy that started the thread? Also, if select posts made by me were erased, and it wasn't me, would it definitely be JB?

[@username-yn5yo]

How can you not love this Man?

[@tickedoffnow]

All Lives Matter and God is Beautiful 🙏

[@greggphelps7643]

Turn the ovens on

[@DerekHowden]

I became a Christian because the deepest part of me rejected it and said no and came up with every reason under the sun not to do it.

[@SaintOtter]

I think you should elaborate. Because one can interpret what you wrote in many ways.

[@DerekHowden]

@@SaintOtter ahhh yes this is true and I'm not even sure an elaboration would help but here goes :-) when I was a teenager I had been homeless for two and a half years and had been sleeping under the fire escape at my old school. I went to the papers and after that the council offered me a flat which was amazing. The flat was number seven and as I stood at the door and looked at the number I got this strong sense of God telling me to sort my life out and from then on in I was haunted by the number seven. I wouldn't get on a number seven bus or drink seven up. I knew something was calling me and I didn't know what it was or even who and I contemplated whether it was Buddha, Krishna, my mind and it would not stop nagging me while I ignored it. I carried on in my own life and started dealing in drugs till a few months later I got busted with seven ounces and seven grams of hashish. The haunting was becoming real and I knew that something was going on. I picked a lawyer who's name was I Malone and I thought he'll do cos I felt like I was alone. I got bail and had been inspired by some Tibetan teaching I read in prison and I thought Tibet held the answer so I got a false passport and started hitch hiking to Tibet. I got as far as Marseilles in France and it was Christmas Eve and I had begged enough money to get a room in a cheap hotel and that night I prayed "If it's you Jesus then let me know" and two days later I met some Christians who took me for some food. However my heart resisted them and while they went to find a friend who could give me a bed I left and hoped to not meet them again because it disturbed me and my heart was saying it's not Jesus. So they found me again a few days later and this time I bought them a meal, to prove I was as good as them lol, and so Daniel who was with them this time offered me a bed in his attic. They didn't preach at me, they just loved me and there was meetings in his flat every night where people brought food, musical instruments and while I couldn't understand what they were saying I knew they loved each other and God. When they gave thanks for food I bowed my head and prayed "thank you people for this food" I resisted God in every way I could. A few weeks later I was invited to an Italian family for lunch and after they started praying and reading their Bibles and I noticed there was Freebird by Lynard Skynard and so I put it on and the chorus "Lord help me I can't chaaaaange" I turned in prayer and I told God to leave me alone and that I would have nothing to do with God. At that point a golden light flew through the room and knocked a guitar that had been hanging on the wall above on the wall onto the record player and stopped the song. The two brothers fell to their knees terrified and broke the album up into pieces. My heart was so fearful that I prayed "Jesus if that is you then please let me understand what the brothers were praying and saying" at which point one picked up the Bible opened it at a random page and read out "Saul Saul pour quoi tu m'persecute? Je suis Jesus Christ qui tu persecute" I understood it was indeed Jesus and my heart screamed NO And because my own heart screamed no I took the resistance to God to be satan in me and I prayed I would find his Kingdom. I prayed and prayed for about thirty days of which were all haunted by rebellion and resistance and hatred and I could find no rest for my heart and then one day out of the blue like a bolt from the sky my heart was freed as what seemed like chains fell away and my eyes opened and I saw the Love of God and the Kingdom in everything I saw. I went from darkness to light in an instance and this is how I knew, because my heart and satan didn't want me to find God I hope that helps :-) I should also tell you that I went back to Scotland and handed myself into the police. I was up on seven charges in total and was admonished of all charges and the judge said to me "in the words of the one you profess to have faith in, Go and sin no more, I admonish you of all charges" The next day the headlines in the papers was "Judge tells drug dealer to go and sin no more"

[@Draezeth]

That's how my father came to Christ.

[@username-yn5yo]

@@DerekHowdenwhat a beautiful story

[@tigistyiheyis5737]

Yessss it wos lacky the child of God

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

I thought Benny Hill was dead

[@JungleJargon]

Nice!

[@davidsanders6979]

Sad atheist could not hold a candle to CS Lewis.Dont even try.

[@sqlblindman]

C.S. Lewis was a mental lightweight. I've never seen an argument from him that wasn't unsound, logically invalid, or both. He is convincing to nobody but fools.

[@lzzrdgrrl7379]

The four horsemen of the apocalypse.....'>......... Surrender To Bias..... Learned Stupidity.... Terminal Narcissism...... Will To Ignorance.... Hat tip towards C.S. Lewis......'>.......

[@sqlblindman]

@@lzzrdgrrl7379 Congratulations! You are even less coherent than C. S. Lewis! You have a great future in apologetics ahead of you.

[@GaoDaHoi]

You! Think?!? HA!

[@stevenwiederholt7000]

Thinking...leads to questions....and questions are always dangerous things.

[@agodfortheatheistnow]

ASK AWAY and I will give you my own sincere personal opinion of who and what God really is which is why God suggested I use this name to represent him here on you tube!

[@stevenwiederholt7000]

@@agodfortheatheistnow And you opinions are....?

[@chad969]

@@agodfortheatheistnow How did god suggest that name exactly? Did you hear an audible voice or was it just a thought that you had which you attributed to God?

[@agodfortheatheistnow]

@@chad969 Gods voice is always " just a thought that you had which you attributed to God?" Mans perception of Truth is subjective , while the Gods honest Truth, is Absolute. Man as a sapient and sentient being intersects with a universe controlled by Absolute LAWS of Physics (which we are still only subjectively aware of) Where mans sapience intersects with the universal absolutes is a very confusing and difficult and dangerous place to exist. So it is necessary that man be sincere in his desire to know that absolute Spirit of Truth Right and Love, which is necessary to fulfill our Hierarchy of Human needs, of love, belonging, purpose , esteem, self actualization, and self ascendancy, if we have any hope of attaining the Purpose of Life , which is The Pursuit of Happiness which comes from fulfilling the above needs. This God that first spoke to me in 1970 with his first words of "I cannot prove to you tat I exist" and "Believing in me is a choice", followed by "Choose NOW what you want to believe" told me a few years ago that the SELFISH physical needs of food shelter and security, are diametrically opposed to our needs of love, belonging, purpose , esteem, self actualization, and self ascendancy, and are designed to help us strengthen those non physical or spiritual needs. Of course spirits refer to "those qualities regarded as forming the definitive or typical elements in the character of a person, nation, or group or in the thought and attitudes of a particular period." The spirits referring to god of course are those ABSOLUTE spirits of Truth Right and Love, as opposed to mans subjective perception of truth right and love. But getting back to the heirarchy of human needs, they are designed so that we must sacrifice our selfish (and absolutely necessary needs of food shelter and security) if we are to strengthen our needs of love, belonging, purpose , esteem, self actualization, and self ascendancy, . There is no greater love than that a man would sacrifice his own life to save another. Usually, we are only required to sacrifice a can of pasta sauce to a local food bank, maybe put up a person for a couple days whose apartment went up in flames but usually we need to sacrifice our security by allowing others to get close enough to us to share love with one another, chancing betrayal in so many ways. ****Now do you understand just a little the voice of God that speaks to me?****** But even so as a human I only have subjective knowledge in my understanding of my sincere desire to know that absolute Truth Right and Love necessary to satisfy my hierarchy of human needs so that I can succeed in the Purpose of Life of The Pursuit of Happiness. PROBLEM: mostly pertains to the human shield of Denial and Projection and False Justification, that automatically goes up in reaction to the PAIN OF GUILT and SHAME that lets us know when we are doing things that are weakening those needs of love, belonging, purpose , esteem, self actualization, and self ascendancy, that are SO NECESSARY to make us happy enough to even WANT to live in this world. How many people commit suicide every day rather than bear any more non physical PAIN , all because they did not believe in the Spirits of Truth Right and Respect of Others which is the sum total of the 2 Laws that Jesus said will fulfill the 613 Laws of Moses? and even worse how many people are being murdered for that very same reason right now? And Killary Clinton admitted in public that the government of the United States installed and trained and armed Al Qaeda to destabilize the middle east. why? food shelter and security? And who are thos "christians" that supported their government to that end. Defence ? in a country 7,000 miles away ? Something does NOT sound like even subjective truth here, let alone Absolute Truth "The will do evil IN MY NAME and I will say to them depart from me for I knew you not" That jesus guy sounds like he really was a prophet. How long ago was he portrayed as having said those words about "Christians"?

[@agodfortheatheistnow]

@@stevenwiederholt7000 Generally speaking, I watched the video because I was lucky enough to also not have been pressured into some god worshipping cult and met god as an agnostic at 20 years of age not having suffered what Einstein described as “The fanatical atheists are like slaves who are still feeling the weight of their chains which they have thrown off after hard struggle. They are creatures who-in their grudge against traditional religion as the "opium of the masses"-cannot hear the music of the spheres.”

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

Nobody can prove a God exists let alone the Christian God. Prove Deism first, then let's go from there shall we. Apparently he thinks he can prove a God exists just by thinking, how about evidence, ever thought of that?

[@coolmuso6108]

Ok. Here's one. Note: let's concede for the sake of argument, that the universe is eternal (it doesn't affect the argument). Btw, this doesn't prove deism, but the God of classical theism (subtle but important distinction). The argument goes back to Aristotle, and Aquinas builds upon and champions it. It's the first of his famous 'Five Ways.' It's basically called The Argument from Motion (or Change). Here's just a very brief sketch of the argument. In the world of our experience, we see that there is change. For example, the hot coffee in a cup growing cooler over time is an example of change. On Aristotle's analysis, change involves the actualisation of a potential. Something going from potential to actual. The coffee in the cup is potentially cold, and then it becomes actually cold. This concept of change involving the actualisation of a potential goes back to Aristotle responding to pre-Socratic philosophers such as Parmenides and Zeno. Parmenides, in particular, thought that change was impossible. If we go back to our coffee example, Parmenides would say that when the cup of coffee becomes cold, the coldness was initially non-existent. Therefore, when the cup of coffee becomes cold, it’s going from a state of non-existence to something. However, since something (being) cannot come from nothing (non-being), he concluded that change was merely illusory. Aristotle’s response, however, was to indicate that there is a middle ground between a full manifestation of reality (actuality) and nothingness, and that’s where potentiality comes in. Potentialities are therefore real features of the world and are inherent within the very nature of something. For example, the actual hot cup of coffee can potentially become cold, spill over, evaporate, get consumed, etc…Now, in order for the coffee to go from being potentially cold to actually cold, there has to be something already actual to make that happen (to actualise the potential of the coffee's coldness). For example, the coolness of the air. Therefore, change requires a changer. The (potential) coolness of the air in turn, is actualised by switching on the air conditioner. The potentially of the air conditioner turning on was actualised by the flick of a switch...and so on. In principle, such a series might regress back to infinity. Aquinas calls this an accidentally ordered causal series. This causal series extends horizontally if you like (temporally) and each member of the causal series is not dependent on the other member at all times. For example, if I switched the air conditioner off, the air will still retain some coolness to actualise the potency of the coffee's coldness. Now comes the important part. This accidentally ordered causal series presupposes the existence of an even more fundamental causal series, something that Aquinas calls an essentially ordered causal series. Let's say that the coffee cup is sitting on a table. The potential of the cup to be held up 3 feet above the ground is actualised by the table. The potential for the table to be held up, in turn, is actualised by the floor. The floor, in turn, is held up by the house's foundation, which again is held up by the earth, and so on. As you may have noticed, in this case, we still have the actualisation of a potential, but it's involving simultaneous causation here and now, at any one moment of time. Also, each member is dependent on a previous member in the series, as each entity has zero capacity to generate its own causal power and has to borrow it from a previous member. The cup has no causal power to magically hold itself up. It has to derive its power from the table. The table in turn also has no power to hold itself up, unless it derives it from the floor, and so on...Let me use another example, suppose you want to power a T.V. You plug the television's electric cable into a power strip. You then plug that power strip into another power strip, and another power strip, and so on...Even if you have an infinite number of power strips, the T.V. and each power strip in the series has no capacity to generate its own causal power and the T.V won't turn on. Since each entity is borrowing causal power, you cannot have borrowed causal power without something to borrow it from. Therefore, they have to derive their power from a first member (with built-in or underived causal power). It can impart causal power without having to derive it from anywhere else. In this case, the electrical generator (technically this isn't where the buck stops - only for analogy). Only then, will the T.V turn on. If any member of this essentially ordered causal series is removed, the entire series collapses. In this case, an essentially order causal series cannot extend to infinity - since each entity has zero capacity to generate causal power and must borrow it from a previous member: 0+0+0+0+0…..to infinity = 0. Therefore, it terminates via ontological necessity at a first member - one that can impart causal power to each member. In this way, an essentially ordered series doesn't extend forwards or backwards 'horizontally' through time, but rather 'vertically,' 'downwards' or 'upwards,' here and now, at any one moment of time. Now, if we go back to the coffee in the cup, in order to change it has to exist - since non-existent coffee won't do anything. However, why does the water in the coffee for example exist at any one moment of time? Why doesn't it just blink out of existence? You might say because the water is made up of water (H2O) molecules that formed during the universe's early history. But why does the water exist here and now and any snapshot in time? Why are the hydrogen and oxygen molecules actualised as water, instead of another molecule involving those elements - such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)? That's because the configuration of the water molecules is actualised by the specific configuration of the subatomic particles, which are in turn actualised by the configuration of even more fundamental particles, and so on. In the end, this essentially ordered causal series terminates at something that is pure actuality - what Aquinas calls actus purus . It can actualise all potentials in every 'layer of reality' without itself having to be actualised. If that's the case, since change/causation involves the actualisation of a potential, if the first member has no potentials to be actualised (since its already purely actual), it is unchanged (or) uncaused (or) unmoved.

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

@@coolmuso6108 Long way of explaining the cosmological argument. Short way to refute it is because it uses special pleading.

[@coolmuso6108]

@Sticky Steve As I mentioned earlier, the vast-majority of cosmological arguments (except the Kalam) have nothing to do with Big Bang cosmology. Even if the universe is an eternal succession of physical states, the question is concerned with ontological contingency and the plausibility of their being any physical state in the first place. This is something that science cannot even in principle explain. Science and so-called ‘laws of nature’ presuppose the existence of the physical universe in the first place, and so using science to explain its existence would involve arguing in a circle. The argument I’ve presented, however, relies on the first principles of being - in this case: the presence of any form of change (I used a cup of coffee for my example!). So bringing up modern physics and cosmology is a red herring and irrelevant to the metaphysical principles I’m talking about that science presupposes. Anyway, to carry on with the Argument from Motion. So we wind up with a first member that is pure actuality (actus purus) that is uncaused/unchanged/unmoved. It is therefore the first unmoved mover or unactualised actualiser. Attributes of this purely actual actualiser (Unactualised Actualiser): Could there be more than one unactualised actualiser? No. For if there were, there would need to be some way of differentiating them, and the only way that is achieved is through any unactualised potentials that one might possess and another might lack. However, since the unactualised actualiser is purely actual with no potentials, there cannot in principle be more than *one* unactualised actualiser. Since change/causation involves the actualisation of a potential, if something is purely actual, it has no potentials, and is therefore *changeless* or *immutable* and *uncaused* . It is therefore the first, uncaused cause. Since time is defined as a series of changes ordered by earlier than or later than relations, if something is changeless, it is also *timeless* . Since matter is always changing or has the potential to be rearranged, if something is timeless and changeless, it is also *immaterial* . If the unactualised actualiser were corporeal, it would be composed of matter. However, since it's immaterial, it is also *incorporeal* . Matter is defined as something that has mass and occupies a space. However, since the unactualised actualiser is immaterial, it is also *spaceless* . Since the cause is timeless it also exists *eternally* without beginning or end and is therefore *beginningless* . Since this unactualised actualiser imparts causal power to all things without having to derive it from anywhere else, it is all powerful - *omnipotent* . If the unactualised actualiser were imperfect, it would have some unactualised potential. However, since it’s purely actual, it is *perfect* . If something is less than fully good, it must have some privation - failure to actualise some proper feature that it has. However, since the unactualised actualiser is pure actuality, it has no privations, and is therefore *fully* *good* . Principle of proportionate causality: whatever is in an effect must be in its total cause either formally, virtually, or eminently (the principle that an effect cannot be greater than its cause). To illustrate this, suppose the effect was you having a $20 bill. A formal cause would be me possessing a form/pattern of having $20 in my wallet and passing it on to you directly. However, even if I didn’t have $20 on me directly to give you, but I had $20 in my bank account, the effect was still in the cause virtually (still have the power to bring about the effect). However, even if I didn’t have $20 on me directly or in my bank account, if I had access to the reserve/central bank I could generate/print-off a $20 bill from scratch - the effect is in the cause eminently (a perfection). Now since the unactualised actualiser is the first uncaused cause of all things, and is neither physical or material, it cannot be an abstract object (since they don’t stand in causal relations). It must therefore be an immaterial, unembodied, infinite, and transcendent mind (which is concrete and therefore does stand in causal relations). Since we can grasp abstract concepts and universals in our thoughts, the cause of all things (transcendent mind) must also be able to grasp all concepts/ideas/abstractions/propositions not just formally, but also virtually and eminently. Therefore, the unactualised actualiser possesses all intelligence - *omniscient* . Since this unactualised actualiser is not bound by any prior antecedent determining conditions, it also has libertarian *free* *will* . Since the first cause is eternal/infinite, it cannot be composed of parts, since the parts of a composite are necessarily less than the whole. Therefore, if the infinite unactualised actualiser were composed or parts, they would be finite. But since no collection of finite parts can add up to an infinite, the unactualised actualiser must be absolutely *simple* and non-composite. We therefore wind up with a one, timeless, changeless/immutable, spaceless, immaterial, incorporeal, eternal, beginningless, purely actual, uncaused first cause of all things that is omnipotent, fully good, perfect, omnisicient, absolutely simple, and possesses libertarian free will. But for there to be such a thing, is for God to exist. Therefore, God exists. QED.

[@coolmuso6108]

@@crazyprayingmantis5596 "Long way of explaining the cosmological argument." There are many versions of the cosmological argument and they all converge on the same one God. They are also all a posteriori arguments where God is the conclusion. "Short way to refute it is because it uses special pleading." Well, go ahead then. Refute the argument I've presented without constructing a straw man. Do atheists just throw out the names of random fallacies and hope that one of them will stick?

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

@@coolmuso6108 "It can actualise all potentials without itself needing to be actualised" Prove it! You're saying that everything else needs to be actualised bar God. That's special pleading.

[@megazine]

Wouldn’t it be not to think since it’s playing God of the Gaps and also “if we don’t know the answer, than it was god”. Paradoxically you are being told what to think which removes the thinking process before it even begins.

[@nativeking698]

How about we think about that. Please explain what the God of the gaps argument is. Then I'll give you an argument that doesn't meet that requirement then we'll go from there.

[@megazine]

Native King sure. We don’t know what happened before the Big Bang, That means god did it. Why do we have morality?; in order for morality to exist their has to be a being to make such laws, therefore god exist. Before Darwinism: We don’t know where humans came from therefore God did it. Prior to knowing earths age: You can’t prove how old Earth is therefore it’s only a couple thousand years old therefore God made it. You can’t prove there are genes linked to homosexuality, therefore homosexuality is wrong since God said so.

[@nativeking698]

@@megazine You didn't explain what a God of the gaps argument is. So how do I know those are God of the gaps. It is best to explain what something is before you give examples. Tell me what Gotpa is and then show me how those examples you gave are.

[@megazine]

Native King God of the Gaps: when something can’t or hasn’t been explained, that means God did it. GOTG has a range of usages, I’m using that one which is common.

[@nativeking698]

@@megazine Now we cooking. Those arguments you gave are Gotg. Now let's look at them another way. The universe began to exist. What could cause the universe to existence? Maybe God. That isn't a Gotg. Why? I don't say it hasn't been explained so it has to be God. Didn't say that. Instead I asked a question, i.e. not an argument, and gave an answer. Didn't back up my reasons for why that is my answer but I did give an answer and I didn't appeal to anything that is in the definition of Gotg.

[@laeequenadvi4746]

QUR'ANIC VIEWPOINT OF ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE AND CREATION OF THE MANKIND. Prophet Mohammad(pbuh)said: 1- Allah existed, Nothing existed except Him. 2-Allah willed to originate the universe. 3- He said: "Kun"(be)and it was,out of nothing.It is out of our capacity to conceive what happened first of all. " And Our word unto a thing,when We intend it, is only that We say unto it: Be! and it is". (Qur'an, 16:40) 4- The primal "being" was processed and Allah knows better what was created first of all and how?! It is not coneiveable. 5- Almighty Allah governs His whole universe according His scheme. 6- This universe ultimately will reach it's final destination (goal). 7- The reason of our creation is to test us.Those who believe in Islam and work righteousness shall have theirs reward, but those who rejected Islam can not escape punishment. Creation of the first man-- Adam. Allah Created Adam out of dust. He breathed into him of His spirit,made the angels bow before him. Iblees refused to prostrate,he was rejected and cursed forever. " So, when I have made him(fashioned him in due proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit,do ye fall down,prostrating yourselves unto Him" (Qur'an,15:29) Adam was taught all the nanes, and their characteristics. Adam and his mate dwelled in Al-Jannah. Later they were sent to Earth. "We said: Get ye down,one of you a foe unto the other!There shall be for you on earth a habitation and provisions for a time. (Qur'an, 2:36) From them decended all men and women on earth. The humanity is in essence a single family with every one descended from a single pair of original ancestors. " O mankind! reverence your Lord Who created you from a single soul and from it created it's mate and from them twain spread multitude of men and women. " (Qur'an,4:1)

[@AkoSiFrance]

"I was a Christian. I was encouraged to think then I became an Atheist."

[@Yesica1993]

So you went from a logical worldview where the universe and life have a Designer and purpose, to a worldview that teaches the universe and everything in it magically created itself by random chance & a lot of time, and has no purpose whatsoever. How nonsensical.

[@samdon3693]

@@Yesica1993 No surprise! God left Jews and cared for gentiles . There is more possiblity for a Christian son to be rejected and athiest son to be saved. God is the hero in this Universe. If you want to be hero choose another universe.

[@AkoSiFrance]

@@Yesica1993 I don't think there's magic in Atheism. It's a personal stand for saying, I'm not convinced any more. I can't convince myself after weighing the arguments of both sides. I'm an Agnostic to whether some kind of god exists. I'm less convinced that the Christian god exists. I personally think that no other book has divided us like the bible did, based on my 30 years on earth. Edit: Also I think, Science or scientists do not claim they know what created the universe, or what/who made the universe. Basically, we don't know and I don't know. BUT, it does not mean it's GOD. I'm willing to believe it's GOD, once it's CLEAR, it's GOD. CONCRETE EVIDENCE, which anyone can depend on.

[@c.m.granger6870]

@@AkoSiFrance have you considered the fine tuning of the universe? Or how, without God, there is no objective morality, and therefore no right and wrong? Or how, given atheism, life truly has no purpose or meaning....we're all just chattering animals waiting for the sun to explode?

[@onlychaosmatters]

@@AkoSiFrance I understand what are you saying but when we say that we believe in "God", we mean that God is not made of matter as we are, so how can there be any "concrete evidence" in scientific sense as you said?

[@biggregg5]

.....and just like that, an entire thread gets erased while I'm waiting for a response. Also a couple days ago, select comments get erased. SMFH. What's going on?

[@biggregg5]

JB appears to be a good guy, but his channel seems to attract Christians that are poor at honest discussion. Any ideas why?

[@sqlblindman]

Because Christianity can't be supported by honest discussion.

[@Draezeth]

@@sqlblindman Why do you hate Christianity so much? Do you believe you can be objective on a matter that makes you so emotional?

[@sqlblindman]

@@Draezeth

[@sqlblindman]

@@Draezeth By the way....did you notice that in your reply you managed to demonstrate my claim about Christians not being able to debate honestly?

[@Draezeth]

@@sqlblindman I wasn't debating, just asking a question.

[@madmax2976]

Interesting. I left Christianity for the similar reasons - I allowed myself to question and think outside the box. Go figure.

[@agodfortheatheistnow]

Gee I constantly think outside the bix, that does not stop me from believing the teachings of Jesus that say all 613 laws of moses can be fulfilled by simply following 2... 1. Love truth and right above all else and 2 love others with the same respect and in the same way you would want to be treated?.. FULL STOP, just those two... I AM ALL IN. On this Jesus teaching. And since all Jesus teachings MUST adhere to these rules, anyone who says jesus says harm others is obviously taking those teachings COMPLETELY OUT OF THE CONTEXT THEY ARE INTENDED.

[@somerandom3247]

Reading the bible did it for me. I had always just believed what my parents told me because when I was younger I trusted everything they told me. But once I actually sat down and read the bible, I immediately saw it for the fraud it is. I am thoroughly baffled at how people can believe such obviously fictional stories.

[@somerandom3247]

@@georgemoncayo8313 you are so wrong it isn't even funny. It takes absolutely no faith at all to disbelieve these obviously fictional stories.

[@ButGOD-Eph2.1-10]

@@agodfortheatheistnow Sorry but that is not what Jesus said. Do you have a Bible you can look up the 2 greatest commandments?

[@madmax2976]

@@agodfortheatheistnow The wonderful thing about Christianity is the hundreds of different ways adherents insist is the only way to properly understand and follow it.

[@bleirdo_dude]

Theism is thought addiction.

[@nativeking698]

I agree. Thinking about God makes me think to the point I want to stop. But to go right back at it again.

[@simonodowd2119]

Am I missing something? I didn't see the connection he made between "thinking" and coming to the conclusion that Christianity is based on a truth claim. The fact that one thinks gives no indication of the accuracy of the conclusion.

[@agodfortheatheistnow]

the Truth is that Jesus prophesied THIS about "Christians", 'They will do evil in my name and I will say to them depart from me for I knew you not.' That turned out to be the TRUTH didnt it?

[@simonodowd2119]

@@georgemoncayo8313 you should look up the "Argument from Personal Incredulity", it's a summary of your position.

[@simonodowd2119]

@@agodfortheatheistnow It's certainly written in there, however that doesn't mean it was said by Jesus, and it's not exactly a miraculous statement that some people will do shitty things.

[@agodfortheatheistnow]

@@simonodowd2119 No it is also not rocket science that god will get blamed for things HE NEVER SAID, but people claimed he did in order to manipulated the moronic masses, both theist and atheist alike. SO sad that atheists got it coming and going. First they are manipulated into believing in this ridiculous contradictory bible god, and then they are manipulated into believing there is no god of Truth and Love and Forgiveness.. actually god does not have to forgive you because god and jesus have NEVER JUDGE ANYONE AT ANY TIME. in fact Jesus said DO NOT JUDGE !!! anyone. But of curse humans are ignorant children who disobey their parents.and their older siblings, aren't they?

[@agodfortheatheistnow]

@@georgemoncayo8313 hahahahahah thats hilarious you have thousands of denominations judging and sentencing one another to hell because the do not happen to share the same theology. that means they are all painting one another with the same brush that says "go to hell go straight to hell, do not pass jesus do not get 200 dollars" False christians.. which are the false christians? the ones that don't believe YOUR VERSION OF THEOLOGY ?

[@biggregg5]

....so, he's not a clear thinker.

[@_a.z]

Failed at the first hurdle!

[@rebanx1]

There are no good reason to believe that god exists. There are many good reasons to blelieve god doesn't exist But, There are several good reasons for declaring belief that a god exists, since our nature is to trust those in authority over us who have told us we should believe it. This then becomes something that is defended, rather than proven using good evidence. Dan Dennet...

[@ethanstone1342]

History, philosophy, science, and reason all point to a god. The question arises when discussing the nature of said God, and whether the nature of God fits in with how any world view describes God. And it does when we examine the old and new testament we can see a God that fits both what we can assume from nature, and our own human nature.

[@email2hector]

Bankseyed so your saying you believe everything came from nothing. And you say those who believe that everything came from something are fools? I would reevaluate your earlier statement if I were you.

[@somerandom3247]

@@email2hector everything from nothing is a theistic belief. Not an atheistic one. Theists believe that god came from nothing, and used nothing to create the universe. Theists double down on the something from nothing argument.

[@mr.c2485]

No. Our nature is to inquire about things that are greater than us. And, our nature is to reject the authority of men. That leaves only science or the supernatural both of which are full of unanswered questions.

[@coolmuso6108]

Banksyed There are literally no good arguments that atheism is true.

[@jerryspace9701]

JL and his childish beliefs 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@coolmuso6108]

When subject to the straw men that atheists apply to them, I agree, they do sound childish. Fortunately, no self-respecting Christian actually believes that their faith is childish...

[@jerryspace9701]

@@coolmuso6108 good for you christians... Keep believing.. Maybe it's all true 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@coolmuso6108]

Jerry space Yeah, and we have very good reasons to believe that it’s true.

[@jerryspace9701]

@@coolmuso6108 good reasons? For you maybe... Not for a rational human being 😉

[@coolmuso6108]

Jerry space You can’t account for rationality on your worldview ;)

[@sqlblindman]

Individuals have "infinite value". This statement betrays either how dishonest Lennox is, or what a shitty mathematician he was.