Amusing Atheists

There’s a group of people. Actually it’s a group that is made up of two subgroups. For the most part they’re just run of the mill Janes and Joes. Like all of us, some are more intelligent than others. Some are nicer than others. There’s one aspect of this group however, that makes all of them quite amusing. Let me tell you about it.

In the New Testament we have a collection of documents, letters actually, that were written to friends and associates. According to experts in the field, the accuracy and dependability of these documents, regarding later corruption, is unequalled in comparison to other documents of antiquity that we have in our possession. All of these letters began circulating shortly after the death of Jesus. Almost all are written by those who were personal students and followers of Jesus and in the case of a couple men they were the actual brothers and followers of Jesus. Four of these documents are biographies of Jesus. All of the letters, including the biographies were circulated amongst the early Christian Congregations. They deal with the life altering motives for living that come about in a person’s life when s/he enters into a healed and forgiven relationship with Jesus. These ancient documents give us a glimpse into the formation of the Christian Church. This development of the Christian Church, as is attested to and corroborated by extra Biblical documentation, began 55 days after the resurrection of Jesus the Christ. Except for Luke, the documents were written by those who lived with and were taught by Jesus and who logically became the movers and shakers of the early Christian movement.

What’s so amusing about that, you ask? Well, nothing - about that. What’s amusing is that this group of people (of course they are, to a person, atheists) say that these letters aren’t accurate in what they teach.

Without the slightest show of embarrassment at speaking with a tone of authority, twenty one centuries removed from the events in question, these atheists claim to KNOW that these documents are not accurate. They don’t say how they know this; they display complete ignorance of ANY tools for judging the reliability of historical documents. They just lay claim to some type of inside knowledge that allows them to know that these documents cannot be believed. And how do they justify these claims? Well, these atheists from the 21st century tell us that the disciples of Jesus could not possibly remember and accurately write down what happened from a distance of five years, five days or even five hours. For those like Paul who wrote about the things he was going through as they happened to him, these 21st century atheists claim that Jesus’ followers were such profoundly dishonest men that what they wrote is pure lie, fabrication, embellishment, not to be believed. According to atheists, five hours, five days or even five years is too great a time for the accurate recording of data so, according to atheists, the writers of the letters just made stuff up. Since however, these accusations of error are coming from the brilliant minds of atheists, two thousand years is not too long a time for THEM to discern truth from error. After all, they’re Brights - don’t you know?

Like much of the atheist world-view, the belief that these documents can’t be trusted is based on groundless and oft repeated claims - oh and faith - lots and lots of faith.

This is what atheists are like. It’s how they think.

Then comes the second subgroup of atheists. The 21st century atheists in this second group (not a trained historian among either group), adamantly declare that these letters are not authentic. In atheist-world, people in this group have good reason for saying this. You see, people in this second group have realised and admitted to themselves that in contrast and comparison to other works of the same time, the manuscripts included in the New Testament come to us with unsurpassed reliability.

Sir Fredrick Kenyon of the Royal British Museum explains:

“The interval between the dates of original composition and the earliest extant evidence is so small as to in fact be negligible. The last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established.”

Because there is no logical way to get around this fact, this second group of 21st century atheists revert to what is a natural “Plan B” - at least for atheists. Atheists are the type of people whose thinking goes something like this. When your absurd and illogical world-view is confronted with reality, the solution is to invent something even more preposterous. In line with this type of thinking, rather than discounting what the authors of the documents say in part or in whole, this group of atheists says that the stated authors of the letters didn’t exist - at all!

Problem solved!

. Too much corroborating evidence for the New Testament documents?
. Too much evidence that works against what you want to believe?
. No problem. Just say that the main characters didn’t exist.

Jesus didn’t exist, Matthew didn’t exist, Mark didn’t exist, Luke, John, James, Paul, Jude, none of the writers of the New Testament existed - so says the people in this group of 21st century atheists. In true conspiracy theorist fashion, these atheists say that ALL the letters in the New Testament are a fabrication.

Or, when all else fails, some atheists suggest that Zeus is just as real as Jesus. Being the class clown worked in grade-school. Maybe it will work here as well.

That’s what these atheists are like. It’s how they think.

Even though the authors of the documents tell of leaving their jobs and being ostracised from the Judaic religious community. Even though the authors of the documents describe in remarkable and believable detail their struggles to live out a new world-view (attested to, verified and confirmed by secular and extra Biblical documents of the time), these authors are discounted and dismissed as though 21st century atheists actually know what they’re talking about.

An example of this life altering change can be found in a letter that was written to the early Christian Church in Philippi. It was written by a man named Paul. Like 21st century atheists, Paul was at one point a determined sceptic regarding the divinity of Jesus. Paul was enraged at the blasphemous encroachment that Jesus had made into Paul’s monotheistic world-view. So enraged was Paul at the growing influence of Christianity, that like 20th century atheists who had the power, Paul tortured and killed as many Christians as he could get his hands on. Like 20th and 21st century atheists, Paul set out to destroy the Christian Church.

Like those who were followers of Jesus before His execution and burial, Paul's unbelief came to a screeching halt when he had an extended encounter with the risen Jesus. This period of learning directly from Jesus transformed Paul into one of the greatest missionaries the Christian Church has ever known. In the 3rd chapter of his letter to the Philippians, verses 4-15, Paul describes his change from the highest ranks of the Pharisees, the highest place of honour in the community to someone who was persecuted and hounded from city to city. Many of his letters were penned while in prison. Beaten time and again, subjected to repeated attacks and ridicule, Paul was finally beheaded by Nero in 64AD.

All because of his devotion to Jesus the Christ.

What’s amusing about that? Well nothing - about that.

However, in a thought process as strange and arrogant as any you’ll find, this group of people, the atheists, from a distance of 2,000 years would like you to believe that THEY, not the authors of the documents but THEY, the atheists, know BETTER than the authors of the documents what did or did not happen in the lives of the authors.

That’s what atheists are like. It’s how they think.

As stated, some of the more radical atheists go even further. They don’t just discount the events that the authors describe. These atheists who exist on the fringes of reality, in the same manner as those who deny the holocaust, say the authors themselves never existed. They say these documents are all a fabrication of -well - they don’t say who the “real” author is.

Obviously SOMEONE wrote the New Testament.

If these atheists are to be believed, the unknown “real” author of the New Testament wrote a document so powerful in its life-altering truths that it LITERALLY changed the course of history. So powerful are the words in this supposed pseudo compilation of documents that every year millions more people are moved to believe that Jesus of Nazareth is alive and working powerfully in their lives.

Movie producers like Dan Brown (it seems that no one has pointed out to atheists that movies are made for their entertainment value, not for factual presentation) and self-proclaimed YouTube historians have convinced these atheists that it isn’t surprising at all that this phantom author, whose primary work has topped the best seller list for the last one hundred years (more copies of the Bible, in more languages are sold every year than any other book ever written), never rose above obscurity. As far as we can tell, s/he never wrote anything else of note. Perhaps in true conspiracy mentality atheists believe that the “real” author of the New Testament was killed after the work was completed so that the “truth” will never be known, except of course, by 21st century atheists.

Come to think of it, all this isn’t very amusing at all - is it?

Pitiful, pathetic, tragic. All of these words fit the atheist mind-set much better than amusing.

But, what are you going to do? That’s what atheists are like. It’s how they think.