There are a number of people who were former Christians na nadismaya sa Christianity, dahil sa mga nangyari sa kanila. May mga iba na naging atheists after nilang ma-witness ang mga nangyayari sa iba’t-ibang panig ng mundo tulad ng famine, poverty, racial discrimination, at kung ano-ano pa. This is not yet to mention the unfortunate things that happened to them which led to their becoming an atheist or agnostic. Ang na-observe ko lang talaga dito sa mga atheist ay kaya sila dumating sa point na hindi na naniniwala sa existence ni God ay dahil sa may nangyari sa kanila in the past. Naalala ko lang si Ravi Zacharias noong kinakausap siya ng isang young atheist with all the arguments and reasonings that he knows. Ravi was just listening to him patiently. When the guy stop talking, ang tanong ni Ravi sa kaniya ay, “So what happened in the past? Why did you became an atheist?” And the young guy all of a sudden burst into tears. 

So alam niyo, may mga pinanggagalingan ang mga atheist na ito kung bakit sila naging atheist daw. Kapag sila ay tubong Pilipinas, many of them are not really authentic atheist from birth. Maaaring nadala lang sila ng mga friend, classmates, or philosophy professor nilang atheists at nakiuso o nakisama na rin. Or puwede ring gusto nilang i-justify yung mga immorality nilang ginagawa para walang sisita sa kanila. Alam mo na? They wanted to be free to do what they want to do without telling them which is right and wrong. Marami din sa Kanila ang nag-a-atheist atheisan lang para masabing atheist sila. Ang iba naman ay na-offend ni pastor o na-stumble sa church or sa isang church leader. While the others ay dahil sa masyadong legalistic ang Christian parents na halos masakal sila sa kanilang paglaki bilang Kristiyano at gusto nilang makalaya. Yung iba naman ay hindi sinagot ni Lord yung prayers nila sa healing. Alam mo, maraming mga reasons kung bakit na-frustrate sila sa Christianity kaya bahala na si Lord sa kanila. The truth of the matter is alam pa rin nila sa kanilang puso na may Diyos na nag-e-exist pero dini-deny lang nila.      

They are not the same with those young people in many parts of China or North Korea who grew up not knowing there is a God who exist because they supressed the knowledge about God. However, I still believe na kahit ganito ang gawin ng mga Communist countries sa mga taong ito sa kanilang bansa ay masisiguro pa rin nating sumisigaw ang kanilang puso kasi may hinahanap pa rin ito so that they can be filled with a longing that only God can fill. Sabi nga ni Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and physicist,  “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.” After all, sabi ni Paul, 

“²⁶ And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, ²⁷  that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us.” Acts 17:26-27

O, nabasa niyo ba yung sinabi na “that they should seek God?” In other words, they will surely seek God kahit saan pa man silang lugar. Kahit pa nasa gitna ka ng Ecuador or Amazon jungle, may chance ka pa rin na makakilala kay Jesus Christ. There is no excuse to say na wala kasing missionary or wala kasing Bible na available para basahin.  

Ang maraming mga kabataan sa iba’t-ibang parte ng America at lalo na sa mga maraming European countries kung saan nanggaling ang maraming mga sikat na Reformers tulad nina Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jacobus Arminius, Ulrich Zwingli, at iba pa ay nawawalan na ng gana sa Christianity dahil sa mga Protestant churches na hindi na maka-move on sa kanilang kinalalagyan. Para bang these churches were stuck in the past observing the same kind of programs and worship na puro na lang hymnals ang kinakanta for more than hundredsof years. Ang feeling mo tuloy ay para bang “divinely inspired” itong mga hymnals na ito tulad ng Bible na hindi mo puwedeng mapalitan man lamang ng modern worship songs. Dahil dito ay maraming hindi makasabay na mga young generation o millenial believers, kaya thousands of Protestant churches are bleeding of young people either transferring to modern churches or becoming atheist themselves. Kailangan lang talaga na maintindihan natin ang mga kabataang ito na nagke-claim na sila daw ay atheist para mas madali natin silang ma-reach out..  

May nabasa din akong reasoning ng mga atheist na nagsasabing paano naman daw ang mga billions of people from different religions? Are we saying na pupunta sila ng hell just because they don’t know Jesus Christ? How can they end up in hell when many of them are peace loving people? Ang sarap lang sanang isipin kaso ang problema, this is a sweeping conclusion para sabihin na majority of them are peace loving people. Eh hindi naman yung pagiging peace-loving nila ang standard na kailangan natin para makapasok sila sa heaven. Minsan, ang dali nilang palagpasin ang kamalian ng tao pag langit ang pinag-uusapan. Sa tingin ba nila ang lahat ng taong ito ay mabait? Were they able to check their inner motives? Actually, ang sabi ng Bible, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Kung ito ang sinasabi ng Bible sa atin then wala talagang puwedeng makapasok ng langit.

Hindi ba may standard requirements na kailangang ma-meet para ikaw ay makapasok sa school? May requirement din na kailangang ma-meet para matanggap ka sa work. Kung dito sa lupa ay may naiintindihan tayong mga earthly standards, why not accept the fact that there is also a heavenly standard? At ang standard ay maging kasing-banal ka ni Jesus Christ. This is of course impossible because Jesus is God. But for you to be holy and righteous ay kinakailangan mong manampalataya kay Jesus Christ na Siya ay Lord, God, and Saviour mo. Alam mo ba na si Paul ay naging righteous hindi dahil sa sinunod niya ang mga utos sa mga commandments? Siya ay naging righteous dahil sa faith niya kay Jesus Christ. Basahin mo ang sinulat niya dito,

⁸ Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— Phil. 3:8-9 

Nakuha niyo ba dito yung gustong sabihin ni Paul? Sabi niya, “and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ.” Sa katunayan, the reason why people go to hell is not because they have not heard of the gospel. It’s not because hindi nila napakinggan si Jesus. It’s not even because walang missionary na nakapunta sa lugar nila. The reason why people go to eternal damnation is because they are sinners who fall short of God’s standard. (see Rom. 6:23).

So the next time you read or listen to an argument made by any atheist, try to study it carefully kasi baka madala kayo ng fine smooth talking nila. Remember, ang sabi ng Bible, 

“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.” Psa. 14:1