I was introduced to the importance of apologetics when I was in my mid to late twenties. The timing was crucial as I was seriously doubting whether Christianity was, in fact, true.
I had grown up in the church and had even attended Bible college. However, by the time I was 27 years old, I had met a variety of different people with varying perspectives on life and philosophy. These caused me to question the truth of the Christian worldview in which I was raised.
If Christianity wasn’t true, then I didn’t want to waste my time with it. On the other hand, if it was true, then it would behoove me to take it seriously—even to dedicate my life to it.
Agnosticism simply wasn’t an option. Either God existed or he didn’t, and I needed to find out.
First Stop: Atheism
The first alternative worldview that tempted me was atheism. After all, isn’t this one backed by science? That’s what atheists often claim. There was also the added bonus that it would have made life easier and, dare I say, more fun. I could live my life as I saw fit, with absolutely no repercussions. If atheism was true and there’s no God, then I was held accountable to no one.
But that concept of absolute freedom turned out to be a ruse.
Most atheists still hold to moral values and see humans as particularly valuable. However, if one is to be a consistent atheist, then one must accept everything that goes along with it. This includes the lack of absolute morality.
I still firmly believed that things like murder and rape are wrong, regardless of culture or religion—and atheists generally agree on that point. The reasoning? Human life is seen to have special value and therefore deserving of protection. But if one is to truly accept the atheistic view that our existence is nothing more than a cosmic accident—a random act of chance—then humans have no inherent value. It’s no more a tragedy to murder humans than it is to snuff out a colony of ants. There’s simply no value to life. Otherwise, how can we justify saying that when a bear kills a man it’s a tragedy, but if a bear kills a deer, it’s just nature?
Indeed, if there’s no God, then there are no morals. There’s no one to instill in us the conviction that things are right or wrong. It’s ultimately opinions and preferences, not absolutes. But those convictions of what is absolutely right or wrong are there, are they not? If atheism were true, there would be nothing morally wrong with rape or murder. But since I knew they are absolutely wrong, then I also knew atheism couldn’t be true. There had to be someone beyond our universe to instill that morality into mankind.
This then begs the question, “Who is God?”
The Search for God
I was next attracted by Wicca. In my early twenties, I befriended members of a Wiccan coven. I got to know them quite well and, of course, learned about their beliefs. I found it very alluring. It conveniently offered the moral freedom of atheism, only this time with a deity attached to it. What’s more, their religious practices and traditions fascinated me.
The high priest of the coven informed me of what they believed: that every religion and belief system in the world was the goddess’ way of revealing herself to those cultures in ways they could understand. The notion that every belief system leads to the same place (a belief known as pluralism) intrigued me, and I found it an appealing prospect. And again, I was free to live under my own rules. The Wiccan motto is: “If ye harm none, do what ye will.” I would have the moral freedom to do as I chose, as long as I didn’t harm anyone.
But as I further analyzed other religions, I encountered a problem: inconsistency and contradiction. For example, monotheistic religions like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all teach that other gods are, in fact, false gods and that worshiping them is a sin. In terms of morality, religions like Judaism, Christianity, and even Buddhism teach that murder is morally wrong, while Norse mythology actually encouraged war and slaughter, and the Greek pantheon couldn’t even agree on morals. (And there are still belief systems existing today that encourage human sacrifice and cannibalism.) So, is there one God, or many? Is it morally wrong to hurt another human being, or not? The different religions can’t agree.
Add to all these contradictions the fact that the teachings of some of the greatest religious leaders (including Jesus himself; see John 14:6) directly contradicted pluralism, and I had to conclude that Wicca, and pluralism in general, couldn’t be true.
The next stop in my journey through worldviews was a return trip to Christianity.
The Return Trip
When I began to seriously analyze Christianity, one of the things that really caught my attention was how extra-biblical sources (both Christian and non-Christian) corroborate the New Testament record, especially the people and events reported in the four Gospels. But the larger factor for me was what was taught about the state of humanity.
The other religions I encountered believed that people are inherently good, and that whatever you’re seeking to gain, be it heaven, paradise, nirvana, or whatever else, you can do it on your own—you’re “good enough.” The Bible is the only sacred text that seemed to say that people are not good. It acknowledges that people are selfish—that we’re all sinful. And when I looked at history and the world around me, I found that to be true. According to the Bible, what’s the one lie that Satan wants everyone to believe? That they don’t need God, and that’s precisely what the other religions offered.
It was through apologetics that I came to be fully convinced of the truth of Christianity. In the ten years since, I’ve continued to study and have only discovered even more evidence to support the Bible—too much to put into this post. But I’ll admit that I wasn’t initially happy about this newfound revelation of Christianity being true. In fact, I considered myself very reluctant to accept it. However, I nonetheless said to God (in tears) that if he is indeed real, then I will follow him, even if it meant being depressed for the rest of my life. But to my surprise, I wasn’t met with depression and misery but, instead, with an unexpected joy! Because although I am sinful, there is still hope for me through Jesus, and he’s given me a drive and purpose for my life.