About a year ago, I came across an atheist’s TikTok video discussing his deconstruction from the faith. I posted a comment, and we had a good conversation about the topic. Ever since that day, my algorithm started showing me more videos from “ex-vangelicals,” and I started having more and more dialogue with those who are “deconstructing.” If you look at my “For You” page these days, it’s about one-third basketball coaching, one-third funny videos, and the other third is a mix of Christian or atheist content.
After a year of interesting conversation and healthy debate, I wanted to put all of these thoughts in one place. The following is a list of the most commonly used statements or points against Christianity that I have seen, followed by my response to each. Feel free to scroll down to find all of the topics you might be more interested in. It’s important to note that I am not saying I have all of the answers to these topics. I’m also not trying to bash anyone’s beliefs or experiences. I’m simply offering some alternative thoughts in reply to these objections people continue to make. My hope is to continue the dialogue.
- “Religion is man-made for power and control.”
Response: I can’t speak for all religions. There might be some that try to control the population or followers. When it comes to Christianity, however, this wildly popular comment has never made sense to me. The first Christians had nothing to gain for sharing the message. They weren’t getting popular. They weren’t getting rich. And they weren’t gaining any power. In fact, many of them risked their lives for the cause. Have there been people throughout history that claimed to be Christians that have abused their faith for power and control? Absolutely. But that’s not how it all began, and that’s also not close to what Scripture teaches.
Here’s what the Bible actually teaches: Love your enemies, deny yourself, serve the poor, pray for those who persecute you, give generously, consider others before yourself, be kind and compassionate, forgive others, and consider it pure joy when you face hard times.
Where’s the power and control in that? This has become another scenario where assumptions take over. What if your leaders, coaches, teachers, bosses, parents, and everyone else started living out what the Bible actually says? There would be no power struggle. There would be no thought of “they’re trying to control me.” Jesus Himself said He came here to serve, and Philippians 2 says He “did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage.” All of the power in the world was laid aside. If anyone tries to use the Bible for power or control, they’re simply using the words incorrectly. That’s a human error, not a Christianity flaw. - “IT’S NOT FREE WILL IF THERE IS A CONSEQUENCE. IT’S NOT FREE WILL IF GOD IS ALL-KNOWING.”
Response: Knowing has never equaled forcing. If God knows every decision you will make, it doesn’t mean He’s forcing you to make it. A lot of atheists will say God can’t be loving if He gives you this ultimatum of following Him. But consider the alternative. Would God be loving if He forced you to love Him back? Would God be loving if He forced you to spend Eternity with Him if you never wanted Him here on earth?
We should also consider this: If you break the law, do you get to tell the jury you had no choice in breaking it? You could have chosen the correct path, but instead, you chose to break the law and now face the consequences. The difference is, God actually gives you grace for breaking all of His laws, but only if you want it. He’s not going to force you to love Him against your own desires. - “If God was proven to be real, I wouldn’t worship Him anyway.”
Response: I’ve seen a ton of atheists that say we have no free will in one of their videos, and then they make another video on their page saying “I wouldn’t worship Him anyway.” By doing so, aren’t you admitting we have a choice? You are saying even if God was real, you would still CHOOSE to reject Him… and that’s what many people do anyway.
Yes, some people are atheists because they don’t believe there is enough evidence for God. Many others don’t follow God simply because they don’t want to. Maybe they don’t want to change their lifestyle or they think “if there is a God, He will let me into heaven because I’m a good person.” There are numerous reasons people choose to reject God’s existence. However, it still relates back to free will.
You see the evidence or lack thereof, and then you choose to accept or reject. Or, the evidence points to God being real, and you choose to reject Him anyway. - “Teaching religion to children is child abuse.”
Response: What’s your alternative in this situation? You think it’s child abuse to tell a five-year old there’s a God… what do you tell them instead? “Hey Billy.. one day you will die and become food for worms. Also, you’ll never see mommy or daddy ever again after that. Sleep tight!”
See what I’m getting at here?
Now, are there some adults in the world who try to use fear to get their kids to believe in a God or to “behave”? Yes, and that’s clearly not a good way to go about things. I just don’t think enough people consider the alternative when they make statements like this. Do you REALLY think it’s abuse to tell a kid there’s a God who created them and loves them as His child? And there’s a hope and a future for them? Even if you don’t believe, let’s not pretend like it’s the Christians who are traumatizing the children when your alternative is what would actually terrify a young person.
The true Gospel brings freedom and was never meant to be about behavior modification or fear. - “I no longer fear Hell after leaving the faith.”
Response: I’m not sure you were getting the right message to begin with. I’m sorry if you grew up in a family or church environment that made you fear Eternal punishment even as a believer in Jesus. I truly have no idea why you would be afraid of Hell if you also believed Jesus saved you from it. This once again goes back to the real Gospel vs. a false one that cares more about your behavior.
The real Gospel acknowledges we will all fall short, and that’s why we need a Savior in the first place. “If righteousness could be gained through the Law, Christ died for nothing” (Galatians 2). So if you were ever taught that you would go to Hell for making mistakes, for sinning too much, or for not being “good enough,” you were given information that is un-Biblical.
Following Jesus means He saved you. He died in your place. He then walked out of His own grave, conquering death. If death is conquered, and I know my future is Eternal life, there is nothing left to fear. There is no such thing as “the threat of hell” if you believe and follow Jesus. - “I’m so much happier now after leaving Christianity, and having my Sundays free!”
Response: That may be the case for you, but: 1. Happiness should never be the goal over Truth, and 2. Statistics show people of faith are much happier people overall.
There’s been a lot of research over the years for people of faith vs. people with no faith. Those who believe in Jesus are statistically happier, they have less overall worry and anxiety, and they even live longer.
When atheists say going to Church on Sunday mornings is a waste of time, they’re actually failing to see that it’s an investment. All the studies show that those who regularly attend Church live 5-8 years longer on average than those who don’t. Sounds like that 1-2 hours per week is actually a time-giver, not a time-waster.
Simply going to Church doesn’t make you a follower of Jesus, and it doesn’t make you better than anyone else. It does, however, have major benefits that often get ignored.
You might also ask yourself: what is your version of happiness? Is it simply being able to do whatever you want? Is it when you have less expectations or responsibility? Is it simply more free time? The happiest people on the planet are typically the ones who feel more purpose, and spend more time serving/giving to others. Can you be generous and contribute to society without being a Christian? Yes, but why wouldn’t you already be doing those things within the faith you used to profess? - “We make these videos because religion causes problems.”
Response: In reality, you don’t even realize how Christianity has shaped your entire world for the better, including the freedom you are currently using to bash it. When I ask atheists to give me specific examples of how Christianity has hurt them or the world, they can rarely provide them. Or, they will use cliche examples like, “religion has caused a lot of wars.” It’s similar to de-conversion stories. Those stories hardly ever have anything to do with Jesus Himself, but of experiences, other Christians, or personal preference.
Not to sound harsh, but I think the real reason you’re making these videos is for the views. You realized there’s a lot of people that enjoy bashing God, and you love being part of that club. This is why you ignore the 50 good comments people have responded to your video with, but then you put the one weirdo comment on blast, making it look like all Christians are like that. I’ve met a few content creators that actually want a conversation, but most simply want the clicks.
I encourage you to educate yourself on what Christianity has actually done for the world. Women’s rights, children’s rights, freedom, education, medicine, charity, art.. you name it. It has been greatly impacted by followers of Jesus. If you’re going to bring up a few of the bad examples throughout history, you need to also discuss the incredible amount of good. It has become very popular and trendy to bash all religion and talk about how bad it is for the world, without giving very specific examples, and while also ignoring how your entire world has been shaped by it. - “I’ve noticed that all of God’s miracles stopped after the invention of cameras.”
Response: What is a miracle, and how often do you think they should happen? To me, if miracles happened all the time, they wouldn’t be very miraculous at all. Also, people assume that the Bible is full of miracles and that they happened constantly in those days. That’s inaccurate. There are around 240 miracles recorded in the Bible, over the span of about 4,000 years. That’s like one miracle every 20 years. There were several periods of hundreds of years in between miracles.. even though it was during a time in history where the miraculous was often needed to advance the message.
Even in Jesus’ ministry.. He performed under 40 miracles over 3 years.. something like one per month, on average. If there’s no new revelation needed from God, there’s typically no new miracle. We also read how a ton of people experienced His miracles firsthand, and still chose not to believe. That brings up this question: How many miraculous things have you already been around but chose to reject?
When Jesus fed the 5,000, some of them found Him the next day.. not to follow Him, but because they were hungry again. They didn’t realize the point was about Spiritual hunger, not just physical hunger. Or how about the time they asked Jesus for another sign, and He said the only sign they would be given was from the time of Jonah. Maybe He was telling them that the stories of Scripture WERE the miracle they were seeking.
On top of all of that.. I do believe we’ve witnessed some very miraculous things on camera. Here are a few recent examples:
9. Your beliefs are based on geography.
Response: I completely understand this thought. If I was born in Somalia instead of America, the odds of me being a Christian would be a lot smaller. However, that doesn’t change whether or not Christianity is true. Our beliefs don’t change truth. Our location doesn’t change truth. Christianity itself came to be in a place that wasn’t Christian. It wasn’t just passed down from a generation, it was a brand new movement.
Unlike many other “religions,” Christianity is for “every tribe, tongue, and nation.” If there is a God, I would fully expect Him to have an open invitation for all people in all places, instead of limiting who can be part of the family. Christianity is the most geographically dispersed religion in the world. Even if you’re more likely to become a Christian in certain locations, the movement and message is global.
The New Testament has been translated into nearly 1800 languages. Compare that to the Quran (114 languages) or Hindu books (60-80 languages.) It’s clear that we are really called to be His witnesses “to the ends of the earth.” Contrary to popular belief, Christianity is also growing around the world. A lot of people act like it’s declining since it has occasionally had a slight decline in America. It is actually growing in many parts of the world, including very non-Christian places like China, India, Africa, and Latin America. Millions are coming to faith in Jesus in those places every year, despite their “geography.”
Timothy Keller once brought up this point to consider: Is it possible that God, in His foreknowledge, has given the people that were going to reject Him their own life and desires to follow? Is the person who was born in a deserted island someone who was going to reject God anyway? Keller wasn’t saying that was his position, nor is it mine. It is simply something to consider as we try to navigate this topic that can be difficult to understand.
Even though I owe a lot to my family and Church for my Christian upbringing and foundation, it was still a personal decision that I had to make. I’ve looked at the evidence. I’ve studied other religions. I still have a lot to learn and experience.. but I’m convinced Christianity is the Truth.
10. If God was real, there wouldn’t be so many atheists. If prayer actually worked, there wouldn’t be the need for hospitals.
Response: This argument can go both ways. If God isn’t real, why are there billions who believe? Why has the movement continued and shaped the world for thousands of years? Popularity doesn’t make something truthful, but that goes for atheism as well. Scripture says many people will reject the light and that the Way is narrow. That doesn’t have to be your path. There’s forgiveness and salvation through Jesus the very second you accept Him.
As for the prayer topic… we have to understand that prayer is not about granting wishes. Our finite brains will never be able to fully comprehend or explain the Infinite. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know why some people get healed, and others don’t. Why did that person get those breaks in life, and that child caught all the bad ones? Not knowing doesn’t mean prayer is a waste.
I don’t give my kids everything they want, but I still desire for them to talk to me and have a relationship with me. Sometimes, my answer to them will be no, or not yet. And I’m just an imperfect human. God is the Perfect Father who knows every single thing we want, need, desire, and every detail about us. He’s not our personal genie. He allows us to experience pain and every type of human emotion in a broken world. One day, we’ll have more answers as to what prayer actually did for us. It doesn’t disprove God when you don’t get the answer you were looking for. “God is close to the brokenhearted” and SO many people have turned their lives around after clinging to God, instead of blaming God, in the midst of their pain.
11. If the Bible is proof that God exists, then a comic book is proof Spiderman exists.
Response: This is probably the most common statement/meme I have seen online over the last year. Forgive my bluntness, but this is one of the most unintelligent viewpoints someone can have. A comic book that is very clearly fiction does not compare in any way to a collection of historical writings.
The Bible is not a book.
Let’s say it again.
The Bible is not a book. It is a collection of 66 different writings, from over 15 centuries, with 40+ authors… that discusses real people, real places, and real events. This fact alone can also be a response to the claim that “it only says that in the Bible and nowhere else.”
Does the Bible by itself prove God’s existence? It might to some, and others may need more. For me, it’s always been a large combination of things that has given me the confidence in Christianity. The reliability and accuracy of the library known as the Bible has clearly been one of the big reasons. As I’ve previously stated, this collection of writings has changed the world. It has been the primary reason for the majority of charities in the world. It has been the primary reason for freedom and rights, for the ending of slavery, and for an incredible amount of advancements in the world. Let me know when a comic book does that if you want to make this silly comparison.
I meant what I said at the beginning of this blog: The goal here is dialogue. If you live near me, I would love to grab lunch or coffee and discuss these topics and more. If you want to exchange emails or chat online, we can do that as well. I understand the “deconstruction” movement as people try to navigate what was real and what wasn’t from their upbringing. But don’t forget about the “construct” part. True deconstruction is getting rid of teaching that isn’t true, but then learning what is, and building back up. Let’s continue to seek, and the “Truth will set you free.”
Tyler D. Smith 