The First Rule Of Fight Club

For the last few months, I’ve been really torn about the exceedingly hostile culture towards Christians, specifically in Geeky circles. At first, I pretended to not notice it. The random, unrelated references to “Science” as a proper noun. The occasional comment about despising church. And then, I started seeing actual vitriol flung at people for simply asking questions. It progressed to the point where some people I respected were joining in the fray, participating in character assassination based solely on one facet of someone’s faith.

I thought rational people were supposed to ask questions! I was raised to question authority, and more and more, I’m seeing this being frowned upon by the very people who are supposed to be tolerant and open-minded. What this tells me is they’re not arguing for atheism because they want to prove it correct; they’re not even trying to disprove the existance of God. They’re arguing it for their own personal reasons. They are, quite simply, trying to get us to shut up so their own conscience can be quiet.

Atheism has become the very thing it despises… an authoritarian, prejudiced, intolerant religion.

Apparently, we are expected to unwaveringly accept whatever the cult science dogma (and believe me, it’s a cult… there’s very little “science” at work there) spits at us. Doesn’t matter if it’s nonsense, opinion, unproven, pseudoscience, or whatever. If we mention God in any way whatsoever, we’re immediately condemned as heretics, morons, bigots, racists, Neanderthals, or worse. Accusations of crusades and witch hunts abound, and most believers, not wishing to cause an uproar, simply back away slowly. Some have just accepted the dogma unquestioningly, despite the contradiction with their faith. In some rare cases, the Christian will knowingly stand up and slap the accusers in the face with logic (and do a fantastic job of it) but for the most part, Biblical Christians are, by virtue of their namesake, non-confrontational.

So where do we draw the line? Should we unflinchingly turn the other cheek, when our very character and sanity is called into question by a horde of screeching monkeys? Do we look away when obvious lies are passed off as wholesale truth? What are actual intelligent, thinking Christians (who have come by their faith through much study and questioning) supposed to do? Do we cower before the howling masses? Or do we plant our feet in the ground, bracing for impact, sword at the ready to cut them down?

I for one have chosen a middle ground of sorts. That’s not to say I’ve made a compromise in my faith! I know confrontation is inevitable, but I’m also aware that arguing with some people is pointless. Some of the smartest people in the world are theists; I know I’m not alone in my beliefs.

In reality, it’s usually not the Thesists who are spewing hatred; it’s the atheists (James Kirk Wall comes to mind, among others). When I see someone who vehemently denies the existence of God (and I can only speak for myself) I don’t hate them, any more than I hated myself before I had faith. I realize that I was blinded by my own selfishness, insecurities, and imperfections. I was no different than them. And of course, I understand exactly how they feel, because at one point, that was me.

You see, not everyone in the Christian faith came to believe by being inducted/indoctrinated by their parents. Not all of us blindly accepted the dogma. Not everyone who wears the name tag is the real deal, either. I have asked the hard questions, and believe me, I have some doozies. But my mind wouldn’t acquiesce until I knew the truth. I spent years struggling to reconcile the difference from what I had been told, and what I saw happening in my life. My family still to this day doesn’t believe the same as me, and after 20 years, I don’t expect them to suddenly change their minds, either. But I had hard questions at a time when I was contemplating ending my seemingly meaningless life… and someone offered me an answer I hadn’t considered. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. It wasn’t until almost 4 years later that I finally made the decision, and I haven’t looked back since. In fact, most of Christianity’s vocal defenders were once active atheists themselves. Contrary to popular belief, people aren’t born Christians; neither are they born atheists. They come to these beliefs based on their experiences and how they interpret them. For atheists who believe in relativism, it’s kind of ironic that they can’t tolerate a difference in beliefs from us.

So how do we– how do I– deal with unproductive criticism? Should I live my life in fear of the possibility of triggering a hate-filled tirade from atheists? (Coincidentally, the very thing they accuse us of! Oh, the irony.) The inference here is that there are a lot of people who are only interested in arguing, not debating. And I hate arguing, so I can and will choose not to participate. If you want a discussion I’m okay with that, with the understanding that I don’t have every answer- and neither does anybody else. But I’ll gladly try to shoot holes in atheistic logic as long as people understand I won’t attack anybody personally, and I won’t tolerate attacks on myself, either. I don’t have anything to prove to anyone but myself, and I’ve given it enough thought to be satisfied with what I’ve concluded. I’ll discuss anything as long as it’s productive. But everyone has limits. The Gospel of Mark, chapter 6, says it like this:

10 And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. 11 Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” 12 They went out and preached that men should repent.