A Sermon Illustration for Atheism and Other Issues

In 2006, I participated in an informal debate online with some Atheists. One of the Atheists clearly validates that men do not come to Christ, not because He is not true or real, but because they love their sin. This is what he said...

"Maybe this doesn't bear on the current topic, but one issue that people like Jared and Tim don't seem to understand is that, even if their creator were proven to be true, it doesn't automatically follow that we would all agree with the creator's demands to be worshipped. Even if they could walk me into the presence of their creator and I could meet it personally, I still would not agree to worship it because I, personally, could not worship anything that I couldn't even respect. Telling me that a creator who was bored and lonely in the universe but had the awesome power to create everything from nothing and used that power not to create equal beings that it could play ball with or hang out and chat with, but lesser beings who would have the eternal duty of worshiping and praising said creator or suffer an eternity of torment is NOT worthy of respect! Chuck points out, eloquently, that it is a waste of time to argue with theists because their beliefs negate all possibility of their beliefs being changed. It's equally a waste of time to argue with this atheist (only speaking for me here, no others) because the xian creator could walk me to the edge of hell and show me the eternal torment, walk me to the edge of heaven and show me the eternal splendor, and then explain to me that it doesn't matter whether I agree or not but that I will go to one or the other based on whether or not I worship and I would STILL NOT worship. This is why I do not waste my time anymore wondering if there is a creator. If there is, then I could only respect it if it didn't REQUIRE respect. I'm curious as to how many atheists, no matter what the flavor or style of their atheism, would agree to follow such a despicable creator even if one were proven to exist."

Source: Myself and others at gods4suckers website

Topic: Atheism, unbelief, original sin, the idol of "reason", modernity, the Enlightenment, arrogance, etc.

Text(s): John 3:19-20, 12:37, etc.