Conversation with an Atheist

Recently I got into an internet conversation with an atheist that had commented on my youtube page. Normally it is a waste of time to try and dialogue with atheists because they refuse to be civil or answer questions and continue to try and put words into your mouth and make false accusations towards you. Dr. James White said it best when he addressed posting on youtube...

"I keep forgetting that when you address atheism on YouTube you turn off comments since atheists have no moral restraints so as to control their tongues, or, in this case, their keyboards. My apologies."

However I haven't posted anything about atheism on youtube. While some of my favorites are videos discussing atheism, the only thing I have posted was actually more of a compliment to an atheist. I posted the audio from a wretched radio podcast of Christopher Hitchens talking to Unitarian Universalist Marilyn Sewell. If you haven't heard it yet, Mr. Hitchens had a better view of what exactly it is to be a Christian than the professing Christian he was speaking with.

Anyway, this conversation I had was no different. However at the end he finally apologized for his actions. Whether it was sincere or not only time will tell. It could have just gone on and on with harsh words but it didn't and he was willing to give me his name so that I could pray for him. While he laughed it off in email and probably out loud to himself, I pray that a seed was planted and that he will take me up on my offer to further discuss the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The following is that conversation. His username on youtube is NavinJohnson90, but I will use his real name (Chris) when quoting him. Please pray that the Sovereign God Almighty will show Himself to this young man.

Disclaimer: There is some bad language in this conversation.

Chris - "You are an utter dumbass."

Me - "Hey would you care to elaborate on why you would leave a comment like that to someone you have never spoken with or met? I'm just curious. Thanks.

(The following is what I posted on my youtube page and an explanation to whoever looks at my youtube page why I wasn't going to delete his comment.)

"To whoever reads these comments I'm leaving the comment from NavinJohnson90 for two reasons.

1. I don't feel like censoring him because that will take away any accountability on his part by being able to deny his comment.

2. It serves as a reminder the type of people atheists and God haters are. If it were simply about they just don't believe in God then that would be cool, but their complete disregard and vulgarity towards other peoples beliefs in God and Jesus Christ show their true agenda and utter hatred.

So please join me in praying for these individuals that the Lord would use any means necessary to bring to a knowledge of Himself.

By the way I have also never spoken to or met this person and this is the type of comment he leaves me. I'm still waiting for a response I sent to him to try and further some dialogue to discuss anything. We'll see if he wants to."

Chris - "Hey would you care to elaborate on why you would leave a comment like that to someone you have never spoken with or met? I'm just curious."

Because every once in a while the close minded, fearful, hateful, and irrational ignorance of people such as yourself gets me irritated enough to the point where I have to let them know. I apologize for the harshness of my comment, but I stand by it fully, because it's true. And you refute it with: "It serves as a reminder the type of people atheists and God haters are. If it were simply about they just don't believe in God then that would be cool"

"It is simply that I don't believe in God. I don't hate anyone because they believe in God, as most of my family and many of my friends are Christians. If you were simply just about belief in God, then THAT would be cool. But rather, you choose to go out on the internet and make ignorant, unfounded, and fear-based claims about Atheists. So don't be surprised if someone calls you out on it. I wouldn't walk into a church preaching about evolution and expect nobody to call me a heathen. But yeah, you think that Atheists are immoral, hateful, and have some hidden agenda? SOMEONE is going to call you a dumbass for spouting such prejudiced filth, and this time it just happened to be me. Curiosity satiated?"

Me - "Okay NavinJohnson90, let's see if we can clear things up. I sent you pm to ask you why you would leave a vulgar comment on someones page without ever speaking to or meeting that person. You then decide to reply twice to this page so that you could have an audience and then send me a pm telling me if I would like to "continue this" I could pm back.

So here is my response to your comments. This will also be posted on my page.

"Because every once in a while the close minded, fearful, hateful, and irrational ignorance of people such as yourself gets me irritated enough to the point where I have to let them know. I apologize for the harshness of my comment, but I stand by it fully, because it's true." ~ NavinJohnson90

Okay it is very funny how you can apologize for your previous post calling me a "utter dumbass" and then say you stand by it fully because it is true. Meanwhile you insult me in the previous sentence by calling me, "close minded, fearful, hateful, and irrational ignorance of people such as yourself ." If you are apologizing for something you don't say you stand by it in the same sentence. To apologize for something means you regret saying or doing it. You obviously don't regret it so it is not an apology. You also have never met me or spoke to me so from one youtube page you have gathered all of those assumptions about someone you don't know.

You then decided to quote me but only partially..."It serves as a reminder the type of people atheists and God haters are. If it were simply about they just don't believe in God then that would be cool," ~ naj1978

You then say to me that..."If you were simply just about belief in God, then THAT would be cool. But rather, you choose to go out on the internet and make ignorant, unfounded, and fear-based claims about Atheists. So don't be surprised if someone calls you out on it." ~ NavinJohnson90

You accuse me of something I never did. I have never said anything at all about atheists until after your response. I have no videos bashing atheists, in fact I have two videos showing how Christopher Hitchens has a better grasp on Christianity than a "Christian" Unitarian Universalist. So if your calling me an "utter dumbass is in response to something I never did you are at fault and are lying. Which further proves my statement that you decided not to quote where I said..."their complete disregard and vulgarity towards other peoples beliefs in God and Jesus Christ show their true agenda and utter hatred." ~ naj1978

You then go on and say..."But yeah, you think that Atheists are immoral, hateful, and have some hidden agenda? SOMEONE is going to call you a dumbass for spouting such prejudiced filth, and this time it just happened to be me." ~ NavinJohnson90

You don't know what I think because you never asked. I never said that atheists were immoral, in fact I think the exact opposite. I never said atheists are hateful or that I think they have a hidden agenda. In fact your replies show your hatred and reveal an atheists agenda. Richard Dawkins himself has said his agenda is to rid the world of religion.

So I'm sorry NavinJohnson90, I didn't spout any "prejudiced filth." Your calling me an "utter dumbass" is unmerited based on your own reason because none of the things you said happened to warrant your first post. You say that , "most of my family and many of my friends are Christians", if that is the case then I would love to hear a true reason why you responded the way you did without cause. My curiosity is not satiated.

I would like nothing more than to continue in a healthy dialogue with you. Maybe we could both learn something.

Thank you for taking the time to respond back to me to begin with and I hope that I will hear from you again.

God Bless,

(Romans 1:16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

Chris - "Wow I can see this really got to you.

" I never said atheists are hateful or that I think they have a hidden agenda. In fact your replies show your hatred and reveal an atheists agenda." Can you really be THAT contradictory?

Also, I never apologized for calling you an utter dumbass. I apologized for how harsh it sounded. That doesn't change its validity. It's true. I don't regret it. Get over it.

But all of this is really pointless, since you should be turning the other cheek anyway."

Me - "Perhaps that I wasn't clear enough in my post for you to think that something bothered me or that I was contradicting myself. Let me try and point out what I thought I said very clearly.

"I never said atheists are hateful or that I think they have a hidden agenda. In fact your replies show your hatred and reveal an atheists agenda." ~ naj1978

What I was saying here is that the very accusations you were accusing me of you were actually portraying in your posts. To me that is not contradictory. Maybe I just can't type what I'm thinking correctly for it to make sense. I'm sorry for that.

"Also, I never apologized for calling you an utter dumbass. I apologized for how harsh it sounded. That doesn't change its validity. It's true. I don't regret it. Get over it." ~ NavinJohnson90

I find this funny that you are only apologizing for the "harshness" of calling me an "utter dumbass", as if you had said that same statement with a smiley emoticon on the end it would have somehow made it less insulting. And it isn't true because you still have no basis for calling me that as I pointed out but you refuse to just have a peaceful dialogue with me. I also don't understand how you can not regret insulting someone you have never met and never said anything to you to begin with.

"But all of this is really pointless, since you should be turning the other cheek anyway." ~ NavinJohnson90

I'm assuming you are referring to Matthew 5:39 here. You and many Christians would be wrong in interpreting this verse as you state. This passage is referring to violence or injury. We should not return evil with evil, in other words not seek revenge.

John Gill, a Christian theologian from the 1700's said it best in his commentary regarding this verse...

"This is not to be understood of any sort of evil, not of the evil of sin, of bad actions, and false doctrines, which are to be opposed; nor of the evil one, Satan, who is to be resisted; but of an evil man, an injurious one, who has done us an injury. We must not render evil for evil, or repay him in the same way. Not but that a man may lawfully defend himself, and endeavour to secure himself from injuries; and may appear to the civil magistrate for redress of grievances; but he is not to make use of private revenge. As if a man should pluck out one of his eyes, he must not in revenge pluck out one of his; or should he strike out one of his teeth, he must not use him in the same manner; but patiently bear the affront, or seek for satisfaction in another way."

I pray that you will carefully read back over my previous response to you and respond with humility to my question. I continue to pray that we have a humble and beneficial dialogue with each other if you decide to continue speaking with me.

God Bless!"

Chris - "Well hey, sorry I was a dick. I dont agree with your ideas, but that doesnt make either of us less human or less important.

Me - "Hey thanks for the reply man. There are many many people far more qualified than myself, but if you would ever like to ask me something concerning Christianity, or more specifically the Gospel, please feel free to do so.

If you don't mind I would like to get your name. I would like to pray for you using your name and not a internet nickname. I completely understand if you don't want to though. God Bless."

Chris - "Haha. Sure you can pray for me. My name's Chris."