He Said What?

So, I have been listening to a lot of podcasts from the "Unbelievable Radio Program" (you should check it out on ITunes) and I came across one of the programs with an Atheist from the United States named Michael Shermer arguing against a Christian named David Robertson from Scotland. They were debating whether or not Christianity is good for us. Shermer begins by saying that Christianity is good when it does good and bad when it does bad. That statement is acceptable when Christianity isn't defined by people living in love through their Savior. The problem is that he goes on to give two different examples. The first is the good. He says that religion helps the poor and staffs soup kitchens. That is good and I would agree with that. Then he goes on to say that religion "doesn't help at all and maybe even makes things worse is in South American countries" he goes on to mention that they are 99% Catholic and they are dirt poor and have high rates of crime. Shermer's second example needs to be examined and cleared up a little. First, is he really asserting that 99% of all South American countries are truly Christians? this is an absurd statement! I say that people who steal, take advantage of the needy and commit other crimes are not believers. So, to say that these people are Christians neglects the definition of Christianity. Jesus speaks to this in John 13:35 when he says that people will know you are my disciples by the way you love each other. When you allow Christianity to define itself then we see that the people committing crimes in South America are not truly Christians. However, the worst part of this argument is that he goes on to say that religion doesn't have anything to do with it because the real problem is economics. What he meant to say was, "well, I can give you examples of Christianity doing good but I cant give you any examples of it doing evil."

I pray that you have stuck with this long post until now because this is the part where you should be saying, "He said WHAT?" So in the middle of the program the two debaters begin discussing slavery. This is a topic that many non-believers bring up but I am not sure why? He says that Wilberforce was a hero to many in helping bring an end to slavery. Now of course we need to state that Wilberforce was a Christian. So that needs to be clearly stated then Shermer says something that I find amazing he says, "I think the whole civil rights movement, in fact, the civil liberties movement over the last several hundred years has not been led by religion. Religion has kind of followed in its wake." OK this statement to me could be one of the most unbelievable statements that I have heard in a long long long time. I wonder if Shermer has ever heard of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. before? To say that Christians have not stood up for the rights of people is ridiculous. I would say that Christians are the ones standing up for the rights of the unborn but I am sure Mr. Shermer would consider that limiting the woman's rights. So, we have that claim but that is not even the most jaw dropping of them all. The worst part of this whole debate is when Michael Shermer compares the civil rights movement to the gay rights movement that is happening now!

Shermer goes on to say 'other forces' are what drive change for the better in human history. he was specifically linking civil rights movements (slavery and African-American rights together) then goes on to throw one last link in by saying that gay marriage is an example of 'other forces' driving the change for a better society. So what Shermer has done was compare the rights of beaten down and mistreated slaves to the gay marriage debate. Does this really make any sense? Is there really a connection? Of course there isn't a connection! To say that homosexuals should have the right to marry another homosexual is not the same as giving the same rights to African-Americans that white Americans had. The first problem is that the gay rights movement is NOT searching for EQUAL rights. They are searching for a total change in the definition of marriage. We need to understand that a gay person has every right to marry like anyone else. They can marry someone of the opposite sex just like you and I. So, they already have equal rights. The truth of the matter is this. The Bible is clear on what the definition of marriage is and is also clear that homosexuality is sinful. So, to compare civil rights for black people and more rights for gay people is a clear example of ignorance.

I pray that this has blessed you and hopefully opened your eyes a little bit to how an Atheist views history. God is good and his people are to love and that my friends is what Christianity is. God has been active throughout the course of human history and the person that says Christianity hasn't done any good has been extremely misled