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Basic Description
Alisha calls herself an agnostic because she
believes there is no proof for the existence of God, so
you could say that Alisha doesn't believe or disbelieve
in God. In other words, in Alisha's mind, God could
exist, but no one can currently prove that.
What Alisha Believes
About Agnosticism:
Alisha believes that agnosticism is the most
rational and reasonable worldview, sometimes because of
the 'damage' done by religion throughout the centuries,
but mainly because it seems to be the most consistent
with the observable world according to the scientific
method. Alisha is open to the idea that God could
possibly exist.
'Agnosticism' is a term coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in
1869 to denote a certain skepticism regarding the
provability of any sort of metaphysical belief,
especially beliefs regarding the existence of God. Asked
whether God exists, an agnostic would respond: "There's
no way to be certain one way or the other." Atheists,
unlike agnostics, believe that both logic and the
preponderance of evidence weigh against the existence of
God.
About God:
Alisha believes God can't be proven or disproved, so
in the practical sense she basically doesn't believe in
God.
About the Trinity:
Like God, the reality of the Trinity would be a
possibility.
About Jesus:
Alisha believes Jesus was either just an ordinary
person, or never existed at all. She will oftentimes
refer to the 'Jesus-Myth', or when she is being really
sarcastic, refers to 'Jebus' (a sarcastic reference to
Christ).
About the Bible:
Alisha believes the Bible is a collection of myths,
half-truths, and lies designed to lead ignorant people
astray and give power to religious leaders over the
masses.
About the Afterlife:
Alisha believes the reality of the afterlife is a
possibility, because it can't be proven or disproven.
About Salvation:
In Alisha's mind, there is no need for salvation from
sin and hell.
What the Bible Teaches
About God:
God identified Himself as "I Am" (Exodus 20:2) -
meaning He is the self-existent (had no beginning or
end) eternal Creator of the universe.
About the Trinity:
There is one God and yet three Persons (Isaiah 45:5;
Deuteronomy 6:4; James 2:19).
About Jesus:
Jesus is fully God and fully man. He is not just an
enlightened man. He is the God of the universe (John
1:1, 14, 18; 8:58; 10:30. Compare Titus 2:13 and Isaiah
45:21), and He is equal with God the Father and God the
Holy Spirit.
About the Bible:
The Bible alone is the word of God. It is without error.
It cannot and should not be added to or subtracted from
(2 Timothy 3:16-4:4; Revelation 22:18-20). It backs up
its claim as the word of God with accuracy, historical
correctness, and fulfilled prophecy.
About the Afterlife:
Those who trust in Christ alone as their only hope of
salvation spend eternity in heaven; those who reject
Christ spend an eternity in hell. (John 5:24-30;
Revelation 20:11-15).
About Salvation:
Every person born on this planet is born into sin, is
destined for hell and needs a Savior. Salvation is by
faith in Christ on the basis of His death on the cross.
Good works or self-denial have nothing to do with being
saved (John 3:16-17, 36; 6:29, 47; Romans 4:1-5;
Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).
Things to Remember
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Don't argue over whether or not God can be 'proven',
because that usually puts you on the defensive, and
the bottom line is you can't really 'prove' God in
the scientific method sense.
-
Focus on the observable evidence of God that is
built in to creation like how 'fine tuned' the
universe is to support life, otherwise we wouldn't
even exist. This fine tuning simply could not have
happened by accident. For example, the earth is the
perfect distance from the sun. If it were just a few
miles closer, we'd all burn up. A few miles further
out, and we'd all freeze to death!
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Try
to work what is called 'Pascal's Wager' into the
conversation - which goes something like this:
It makes more sense to believe in God than to not
believe. If you believe, and God exists, you will be
rewarded in the afterlife. If you do not believe,
and He exists, you will be punished for your
disbelief. If He does not exist, you have lost
nothing either way.
If they ask questions like: "how do you know which
God?" - focus on the claims of Christ as being the
only way and proving it by coming back from the
dead. Remember to bring this up as a conversation
starter, and not as an intimidating threat.
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