You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence, But You Can't Make Him Think
Cheryl C. Malandrinos
January 30, 2009
Welcome Ray. It´s a great honor to have you with us.
When did your writing career begin? What is it that made you decide to write that first book?
In 1977 I looked back on my surfing days and realized that five of my old surfing buddies had strayed into drug use, and had tragically died. I was horrified that so many had needlessly died at a young, so I wrote a book called, My Friends are Dying! (now called, Out of the Comfort Zone). It was a dramatic story and received national attention in my home country of New Zealand. The book became a best-seller and paved the way for me to keep on writing.
A reader on an online Science forum called you the "Ann Coulter of creationists". Do you care to share your thoughts on that comment?
Ann Coulter? She is three things: 1. tall, 2. intelligent, and 3. pretty. I´m neither tall nor intelligent.
It seems you get several spiteful comments directed toward you. In fact, if anyone takes a look at your blog, Atheist Central - http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com - they´ll find a lot of them. What is it that you´re saying that inspires such hostility?
Hey, they are the nice ones. I delete the nasty ones because they often contain profanity. What makes them mad is that I tell them that God will hold them accountable for their thoughts and deeds. I´m like a police officer who goes back to his bad neighborhood, lets his old buddies know that there´s going to be a big bust, and tells them that they had better reform before that day. Crooks call cops "pigs" for a reason. They don´t dislike the cop for who he is, but for what he represents--the law.
The blog is tame. I have been beaten, spat on, chased, hated, abused, and called names that would make your Aunt Martha´s hair curl into a tight knot.
How do Christians feel about your ministry? Are they afraid that your directness paints them in a bad light?
I strive to be loving and kind, and sometimes I fail. Love should be the fountain of everything I say and do. In that context, "directness" is a virtue. If you were blind and you were tapping your way unknowingly towards a thousand foot cliff, you would want me to be direct. Very. Jesus was very direct, and it was the religious folks that were upset by that, and they tried to kill him ten times even before He made it to the cross. So, some friendly-fire comes with the territory. It hurts, but there is little I can do about it. Most comments I get from Christians are very encouraging.
Let´s talk about your latest book. How did You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence, but You Can´t Make Him Think come about?
I´m a Christian. I love God, and I also love atheists. I had dinner with 40 of them (at their request) early in 2008 and was treated with respect. I was flown across the country by American Atheists, Inc., to be a platform speaker at their 2001 Annual Convention. I was treated with respect there also. I have a blog called "Atheist Central" and it daily attracts a mass of atheists. Most of them are nice folks, who obey the rules that say "God" must have a capital "G."
However, there are good and bad atheists, and in recent years we have seen an increase of bad atheists. These radicals go out of their way to try and censor the Bibles from being given to school children, and who sue Rick Warren because he was asked to pray at the Presidential Inauguration, or protest the presence of a nativity scene. Their agenda isn´t to promote atheism. It is the God-given right of every American to be an atheist if that´s what he chooses. But the new atheist´s agenda is to undermine the rights of those who have the freedom to worship the God who gave them life and liberty. I want to pull the plug on the rising tide of atheism. This book is part of that effort.
This book is written in a Q & A format. Why did you choose to approach it that way?
I was in the unique position of having hundreds of atheists ask me questions. I felt honored that they would bother to ask me how I know God exists, or why there is suffering, or how I can be sure that there is an afterlife. These are questions that almost every sane person asks, but few seem to answer in a meaningful way. I have tried to do that.
Who did you select for a publisher and why?
World Net Daily have instant access to the market I want to reach--human beings that are breathing.
Do you believe that you will prove the existence of God to any atheist through this book?
Some atheists have closed minds. Some don´t. I wrote this book for the many fence-sitters who have been hoodwinked into thinking that a belief in God is just some sort of blind faith. There is a massive amount of credible evidence that proves God exists. There´s creation. You can´t have a creation without a Creator. It is scientifically impossible. That should be enough for us, but there is much more evidence. However, this will only be seen as evidence by those who have the ability to think. That´s why I called the book, You Can Lead a Atheist to Evidence But You Can´t Make Him Think.
Where can readers purchase a copy of