Are you a Skeptic?

[Relic]

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If you are a skeptic, read this "whole article" (provided through the link below) it may help change your mind.
http://www.leaderu.com/isot/articles.html#dodger

Hope this helps.



The Artful Dodger:
A Skeptic Confronts Christianity
by Dr. Alan Scholes

Alan Scholes has been on the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ since 1969 and teaches theology at the International School of Theology. He holds three earned masters degrees and a Ph.D. in Theology and Personality from Claremont School of Theology. He recently completed his latest book, "What Christianity is All About: How to Know and Enjoy God." Learn more about Dr. Scholes

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excerpt from article (link provided below) :

I've always been intrigued with the skillful little pickpocket in Dickens' Oliver Twist. He was called the "Artful Dodger" in recognition of his nimble escapes from would-be captors.

At times I've seen myself as a sort of "mental Artful Dodger." Ever since I can remember I've enjoyed arguing and debating with those who hold strong philosophical or religious views. And I'm always ready to take the best of their ideas for myself. But I often find myself wary of getting too committed, fearful of being caught in any particular religion or faction.

However I've also tried to avoid becoming cynical for I realize there are at least two different kinds of skeptics.

* The first is what I would call an open-minded skeptic. He wants to find out what is really true, whether it agrees or disagrees with his own preconceived ideas. He will carefully and cautiously examine the facts before he commits himself, but is willing to follow wherever the weight of evidence leads him. This is healthy skepticism. It is the attitude that lies at the heart of the modern scientific method and all forms of good scholarship.

* But, there is also a more negative kind of skeptic who says, "I won't believe, no matter what you tell me." Although this second kind of skeptic may give the appearance of being very objective or scholarly, he is really only saying, "My mind is made up; don't confuse me with the facts!" This is not an honest sort of skepticism - it is really close-minded dogmatism in reverse.


Read the rest of this whole article at this link, click on the selected chapters in the title entitled The Artful Dodger: A Skeptic Confronts Christianity :

http://www.leaderu.com/isot/articles.html#dodger

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[Admiral]

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However I've also tried to avoid becoming cynical for I realize there are at least two different kinds of skeptics.

* The first is what I would call an open-minded skeptic. .

* But, there is also a more negative kind of skeptic who says, "I won't believe, no matter what you tell me."

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Being a skeptic is a 'termporary state'....or a transitional state...

When enough evidence comes in, you make a decision either for or agaisnt what the theory is....

if you make a decision for ....you are a believer....

If you make a decision against.....you excuse it....

 

[Relic]

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A skeptic has no thought or idea of what it means to have a personal relationship with God and they think it presumptuous of Christians to believe they have some kind of inside track with the creator of the universe.
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A note from Dr. Alan Scholes;

Ever since high school, I have tried hard to be a skeptic of the first kind. It was then I decided that if Christianity (or any other religion) was false, the sooner I found out the better, so I could move on to something else. But I also decided that if any part of it was true, I'd better find that out as well.

So this book is the story of one (hopefully open-minded) skeptic's confrontation with Christian beliefs. It is also the story of many of the people who helped me sift the evidence, both pro and con, and of some individuals I was able to assist in turn.

My purpose is not to deal exhaustively with every facet of every issue I confronted. That would be an impossible task even in a book five times this size. Rather, I hope these few brief glimpses of my thought process and those of several people I have known will encourage you to explore these questions for yourself.

As you read this book, I would like to challenge you to adopt the stance of an open-minded skeptic, to be willing to follow courageously wherever the evidence of your own investigation may lead.

The Author





Read some helpful excerpts, click the links:

Excerpts from The Artful Dodger: A Skeptic Confronts Christianity by Dr. Alan Scholes
Foreword
Preface
Chapter 1: "But I worship God my own way."
Chapter 3: "I'd like to know God, but why do I need Jesus?"
Chapter 4: "Can't I just live a good moral life?"
Chapter 7: "Do you believe in evolution?"


Excerpts from What Christianity is All About: How to Know and Enjoy God by Dr. Alan Scholes
Chapter 1: Our Approach: Convictions, Persuasions, and Opinions
Chapter 5: Humanity: Good News and Bad News
Chapter 6: Christ: The Man Who is God
Chapter 8: Salvation: God’s Answer to Our Need



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[Relic]

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As long as one remains in a skeptical state of mind can they truly grasp the meaning of these scripture?

1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:23
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever."

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[Soma-Sight]

Maintaining a bit of reasonable skeptisim is what separates the Nazis from the Gandhi's.

It is easy to turn off the mind and just follow orders.

It is hard to question modern day paradigms and come to your own conclusions.

 

[Relic]

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A skeptic is not much different than
the people we read about in this chapter of 2 Kings 17:7-23

Their attitudes were that of ignoring and rejecting the statues of the Lord God Jehovah.

• 
  14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.
  15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

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[philbo]

Yep, I'm still a skeptic.

 

[Duder]

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Hello, Relic -

I am a Christian skeptic. Hear me out before you make up your mind about me.

There is one thing that every thinking person knows to be true, and that is the fact of his or her own existence. Beyond that, no one knows anything for certain. So much of what we think we know is ingrained habit, based on assumptions made so early on that we cannot even remember what they are or why we adopted them, or based on indoctrination that began in the cradle and continues right up through university.

Consider, for example, the certain truth held by ancient people that the earth was flat. Everyone knew that. It was obvious. Heck, you could look at it and see that it was flat!

And if every intelligent person living on the earth at that time knew that the earth was flat, how can I be certain that some of my most certain truths, yea, even the dearest truths, will not turn out to be similarly wrong? I have considered this question for years, and it is my studied opinion that if I am to be 100% honest with myself, then I must admit that I know nothing for certain (except for that one fact I mentioned at the start).

I think all of us are aware at a deep level that this is so. I mean, a lot of us go to great trouble to avoid thinking about it too much, but in those rare moments when the cold sweats of existential terror come upon us and we are staring straight into the gaping chasm, we know that we do not know. The best thing to do is to be honest about it and acknowledge it.

Many religious persons - and we Christians are especially susceptible to this - spend a lot of time trying to convince each other how firmly they believe. The reason they do it is because they are not sure that they believe. And if they can sell others on the firmness of their belief, they might start to believe it themselves.

The trouble is, it never fully succeeds. We can never get rid of that nagging knowledge way in the back of our heads that we don't really know. We may try and drown it out as best we will with bravado, but there it is... . Worse yet, the Almighty would never be fooled by the strategy of trying to kid one's self into belief. He would immediately detect such a self-deception. What are poor slobs like us to do?

Stop trying to believe, of course. Admit that you don't know.

That doesn't make you a witless fool. You will still get up in the morning, make the coffee, get dressed and drive to work - even if you are not 100% philosophically convinced of the existence of cars. You will go on, even without certainty, because you make bets.

I wager, as a kind of practical assumption, that my car is real, and that when I am driving it I am actually travelling to work. Not completely certain, mind you, but that's the working assumption I make. Experience teaches me that it is a very good working assumption. I keep an open mind about it, and allow for the possibility that it could turn out to be wrong - but I keep driving my car. It works.

So it is with faith. It is possible that I've got everything all wrong. Nevertheless, I decide to act as if the articles of faith were true. I place a bet that says the Lord is hearing me when I pray. I wager that some of the coincidences and meaningful events I experience are guidance from the Lord. When I feel the impulse to be compassionate, I act on it, banking on the idea that I am thinking with the mind of Christ and obeying the Holy Spirit. When I act badly, I ask for forgiveness, just as if He were really there ready to give it.

You see, faith is not about what you claim to know. Faith is about what you do. Faith is putting your money where your mouth is. Faith is not assenting to a list of official facts that ought be believed. That is cheap. Any old clod can do that. The test is, what are you going to do when the time for action is at hand? Are you going to stand up for God, or are you going to sit down and wuss out - mumbling to yourself about what you say you believe?

Faith is best understood as the "leap of faith", which is a leap into the unknown.

My way is much better. Gone is the self-defeating and self-deceiving tension of trying real hard to believe. Gone is any impulse to try and kid anyone. And with all of that stress gone, one can focus wholeheartedly on the actual business of loving and serving Jesus.

There is an additional benefit. Suppose I do have some essential article of faith wrong. Since I am not working real hard to make myself believe it, I stand a good chance of being open to the Lord if he tries to correct me and bring me around to the right point of view.

We are all skeptics, even if some of us fear to admit it. The wisest man acknowledges it, lays his bets, and keeps his mind receptive to new information to help his bets get better and better.

My relationship with the Lord is much more natural this way.


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[Solo]

I've never been skeptical of God and his Word, even when I wasn't a believer, I wasn't skeptical of God.

I am and always have been skeptical of man and man's words, and expect that I always will be, expecially now that I know the truth.

 

[Soma-Sight]

I've never been skeptical of God and his Word, even when I wasn't a believer, I wasn't skeptical of God.

I am and always have been skeptical of man and man's words, and expect that I always will be, expecially now that I know the truth.

So when you were an unbeliever you were not skeptical of the Bible?

I agree with you that it is wise to be skeptical of mans words as many are wolves in sheeps clothing ready to take away the Light you have in you.

Skeptical people are often persons who have been abused, torn down verbally, and judged harshly by the authority figures and parents in there life.

The only way to combat a skeptic is to combat the fear with love.

The mistrust with openess.

The hate with understanding.

This is the only Way the Light of Christ truly turns a person away from self destructive behaviours and thoughts.

 

[Solo]

I've never been skeptical of God and his Word, even when I wasn't a believer, I wasn't skeptical of God.

I am and always have been skeptical of man and man's words, and expect that I always will be, expecially now that I know the truth.

So when you were an unbeliever you were not skeptical of the Bible?

I agree with you that it is wise to be skeptical of mans words as many are wolves in sheeps clothing ready to take away the Light you have in you.

Skeptical people are often persons who have been abused, torn down verbally, and judged harshly by the authority figures and parents in there life.

The only way to combat a skeptic is to combat the fear with love.

The mistrust with openess.

The hate with understanding.

This is the only Way the Light of Christ truly turns a person away from self destructive behaviours and thoughts.

I have never been skeptical of the Bible, and have always known what was contained within was God's truth, even when I was an unbeliever. The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge, and without that fear, mankind runs on his own wisdom which falls way short of God's wisdom.

 

[Soma-Sight]

I have never been skeptical of the Bible, and have always known what was contained within was God's truth, even when I was an unbeliever. The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge, and without that fear, mankind runs on his own wisdom which falls way short of God's wisdom.

Do you come from an Evangelical background?

Just curious....

It sounds like you were a believer from day one with the Strong faith to believe in the Bible even when you were not a Christian yet!

 

[Solo]

I have never been skeptical of the Bible, and have always known what was contained within was God's truth, even when I was an unbeliever. The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge, and without that fear, mankind runs on his own wisdom which falls way short of God's wisdom.

Do you come from an Evangelical background?

Just curious....

It sounds like you were a believer from day one with the Strong faith to believe in the Bible even when you were not a Christian yet!

I was confirmed a Lutheran as a child and I quit going to church as it didn't coincide with my wants or wishes. I did not believe that Jesus was God, and I came from a Trinity Lutheran Church. My father isn't saved and my mother wasn't saved until after I became a Christian. It was the thing to do back then, going to church that is. I know many many people who attended church as it was the social thing to do, but how many were believers? I wasn't. I became a believer when I was born of God in a service where God's still small voice came to me and said that I may never again have a chance at believing in him. I got honest with myself, and in faith stepped out into belief that he would save me from my sin and ignorance of the spiritual. That was 22 years, 5 months ago.

 

[Soma-Sight]

I was confirmed a Lutheran as a child and I quit going to church as it didn't coincide with my wants or wishes. I did not believe that Jesus was God, and I came from a Trinity Lutheran Church. My father isn't saved and my mother wasn't saved until after I became a Christian. It was the thing to do back then, going to church that is. I know many many people who attended church as it was the social thing to do, but how many were believers? I wasn't. I became a believer when I was born of God in a service where God's still small voice came to me and said that I may never again have a chance at believing in him. I got honest with myself, and in faith stepped out into belief that he would save me from my sin and ignorance of the spiritual. That was 22 years, 5 months ago

Right on....

Glad you found your niche.