My dad needs help combating local atheists!!!

[KR McKay]

Friends:

My father has grown weary of atheists who are apparently writing very anti-Christian letters to the newspaper in the town in which he and mom reside. He writes:

The atheists have really ramped up their attacks on Christ, Christianity, and the Church...We have some that write letters in our paper quite regularly and they are vicious in their attacks. No one ever refutes anything they say. I need statistics on: The amount of money Christians give to help fight poverty, feed the poor, care for children, care for elderly, care for disabled. How many hospitals Christians support. How much money is given to missions? How many schools, clinics, hospitals, etc. do churches establish? I am not aware that atheists do anything for anyone, all they do is attack. If I can find solid statistics I will write an article of my own for the paper pointing out the facts. Perhaps you know of some on line sources that will have these sorts of statistics. Please help me out if you can. Thanks! God bless. Love Dad

Does anyone know of any stats that I could pass on to him? Feel free to post a reply here, if so, complete with a link, etc. Thanks in advance, and God bless!

[nillapoet]

Just off the top of my head Imago Dei here in Portland just gave $100,000 to the city in order to start a mentorship program to keep kids in school.

[WKUHilltopper]

Sunday School was created exactly as what it implies--School on Sunday. It was provided by Christian churches to teach adults to read (because hardly anyone was literate) and so they could read the Bible.

The Catholic Church didn't want people to be able to read--they wanted to tell everyone what the "bible" said as a means to control them. And at one time considered it a death sentence for anyone who owned a Bible (printed books, at that time, were very expensive and expensive, slow to print). So even if you were rich enough to buy one, you still run the risk of being burned at the stake.

So maybe if it weren't for the early Christian churches, desiring that people should know how to read--perhaps these atheists couldn't even read what they're writing (in this case, scribblings?) to the papers. LOL

Can you link or post some of the letters? Perhaps we could help in retort.

[ForgivenOne]

Here's a link to a story written back in 2005 with some interesting facts in it. Have not yet been able to find anything more current :(

The Barna Group - Americans Donate Billions to Charity, But Giving to Churches Has Declined


Wait.... found one from 2010: http://christianpf.com/charitable-gi...he-u-s-shines/

[Tom Bonvie]

Dear woman....

As lovingly and politely as I can say this.....the "athiests" have been around since the beginning. They are children of the Devil and their job is to try and undo or falsefy the written Word of God. Unless they repent and turn to Christ, their ultimate abode will be in the lake of fire and their mission will be terminated.

Let us who believe continue to love and reach out to these lost souls until there's no breath left in our bodies. This is our mandate from God through Jesus Christ.
My dad used to say...if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.. but my advice to the athiest is if THEY can't stand the HEAT, stay out of hell.

Prayers for your day...
In Christ

[Coup]

Friends:

My father has grown weary of atheists who are apparently writing very anti-Christian letters to the newspaper in the town in which he and mom reside. He writes:[INDENT]
The atheists have really ramped up their attacks on Christ, Christianity, and the Church...We have some that write letters in our paper quite regularly and they are vicious in their attacks. No one ever refutes anything they say.

By your first few statements illustrates quite alot.

There is an obvious editorial anti-christ bias in this paper.

Your most important statement is " No one ever refutes anything they say." I have no doubt many well researched & informed Christians are sending in letters to refute the atheist with fact & reason. Those letters are not being printed.

My suggestion would be to work within & rally the Christian community to boycott and unsuscribe to this paper, call & inform all advertisers in the paper that they too will be boycotted as well because of the paper's anti-christ bias. Let the God's free enterprise system do the work. Spiritual principles also work in economics, when folks feed evil it thrives, when folks starve evil it dies.

[Ducati]

Let there attacks start a blog fest of debate - start attacking back (with wisdom and strength) and see who the paper bans from the debate first. You'll know were the paper stands - as will the rest of the city - and we'll see then what happens to the paper. The atheists will have to find another outlet to spew there 'belief' because the paper will be gone due to lack of support.

[IREALLYLIKEJESUS]

I pray that they can find God.

[mattfivefour]

KR, I'm glad somebody posted in this thread and brought it back to my sight. A thought occurred to me as I read this again. And since your dad is a pastor (there is no retirement from God's service), I think it will resonate with him.

Jesus never got into a tit-for-tat debate with sinner or supposed saint. He always cut right to the core. When the woman at the well attempted to deflect His conversation to a theological difference he cored right in on her sin. When the Herodians tried to lure him into making statements that would make it look as though he were promoting insurrection against Rome, He showed them the truth of the earthly Kingdom and the Heavenly one. When the Pharisees tried to trap Him into one of their complex arguments about the law, He trumped them with a two sentence summary of the heart of all of the law and the prophets. And then He trapped them with the Word itself, turning the tables on them.

Peter did not attempt to argue with the men of Israel but instead simply revealed Christ. Paul, from what is recorded in Scripture, did not attempt to convince the heathen of the error of their belief but rather showed them Christ. They reasoned with men, but they did not argue with them. And ALL of their reasoning was through the Scriptures.

We should not, therefore, think that we must somehow debate the debaters of this world who reject the Scriptures. When Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up I will draw all men unto Me" he was speaking both literally and metaphorically. By His being lifted up on that Cross, He made it possible for all men to indeed come to Him. And as we lift Him up before men by proclaiming Him and His good news, He indeed works by His Word and the Holy Spirit to draw to Himself those whose hearts are capable of being opened.

I would advise your dad that to engage in debate with unbelievers is to become entangled in their net. I myself would be more inclined to step back and, rather than argue with them point by point, continually bring light to bear on the motives of their hearts, while lifting Jesus and using His Word ... not in a mindless quoting of the mere words of Scripture but through the teachings of the heart of it. For the Holy Spirit is what (or, rather, "Who") gives life to God's Word. Some people make the mistake of thinking that if they just quote scripture it will do the work. Satan can quote Scripture. He probably knows its letter better than we do. But He does not know its Spirit. We do; and it is by knowing the spirit of the Word and ministering it to others that the Holy Spirit can and will convict hearts of sin and convince hearts of salvation through Christ.

Remind your dad that most of the people who withstood Christ on this earth were not converted by His Word to them; but many of those standing around and observing were.

[Noah Cotterill]

Father, we pray these atheists would see You. Humble them before you and Your word. Confound these 'wise' men and women. Would their attacks be conquered by intercession, and that they would not cause ears to be lopped off, and heal those that have been. Would people be hearing the Truth.

[LivnForChrist]

agreeing in prayer

[KR McKay]

Matt -- Thanks, brother! I have passed on your comments. I think you hit it squarely on the head, so to speak.