Chatting with Christians on Omegle!

If you don't know already, I love talking with people on Omegle. If you don't know what it is, just look it up. Anyways, I've been trying to come across a respectful Christian to try to find one, and this one just confused the hell out of me, which is probably what he was trying to do. Here is our conversation.

You're now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!

You both like Christianity, and Jesus.

You: Hi.

Stranger: Hello

You: Are you a Christian?

Stranger: Yes, are you?

You: I am actually an atheist, but I'm not looking for trouble. I just want to have a decent conversation with a Christian so that I know that not all Christians are horrible people, like the ones I have encountered before.

Stranger: I see, that's fair enough.

You: :)

You: What would you like to discuss?

Stranger: I don't mind, don't have anything in particular, do you?

You: Well, what denomination are you? (e.g., Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, etc. etc)

Stranger: Anglican

You: I grew up in a strict Catholic household, so I probably don't know much about your beliefs.

Stranger: We have some similarities to Catholics in our church structure, like a head (Queen), and Bishops but they play different roles.

You: Ah. Okay.

You: One question that I've wanted to ask someone, is how do you truly know that God exists? I am not trying to convert you, but I'm just wondering.

Stranger: I think there are no real atheists and we all know he exists, because he has revealed himself to all of us in our conscience, through the creation (universe) and through the scriptures (Bible).

You: I, personally, think that there are no true atheists too, but I also think that nobody is truly a Christian either. Everyone has their doubts. Again, I don't want to sound rude, but that's just my thoughts.

Stranger: I don't doubt that God exists... I doubt some things about scripture sometimes, but that's my ignorance.

You: I see. So, do you have any questions for me?

Stranger: Sure, why are you a professing "atheist".

You: That's what I personally see myself as. I sometimes wonder if God really exists, and so I'm more of an agnostic than anything, but my core belief is atheism. I also try my best to respect Christians, so, just in case He does exist, I wouldn't be guilty of hating people who worshiped him.

Stranger: I see, what's your understanding of the Biblical teaching of heaven, hell, salvation and judgement?

You: I personally don't believe in the Bible. I love a lot of the stories contained within the pages, like the Nativity, and they're very beautiful stories, but I just don't think that they actually happened. The Bible teaches a lot of good things, but also a lot of bad things (like stoning women who committed adultery, putting gay people to death, etc). I don't agree with a lot of it, but there are quite a lot of stuff that I do like. Jesus taught to respect all people, and that's basically my philosophy. I personally just don't believe in The Bible, though, as there's quite a lot of inconsistencies and contradictions and historical inaccuracies.

Stranger: Sorry, you misunderstood my question... what is your understanding of who gets saved and who gets judged and goes to hell?

You: If there was an afterlife, I probably would think that only truly evil people like Hitler or Nero would go to Hell.

Stranger: I see, so you think people would go to heaven or hell based on YOUR standard of morality?

You: I mean, if someone who grew up believing in Allah and not the Christian God, lived a great, peaceful life, and died believing in Allah, I wouldn't think that they'd go to hell just because they didn't believe in God. I mean, if I were God and created humanity, it would be extremely self-centered to banish anyone who didn't know about them to an eternal pit of fire, don't you think? If someone lived a life thinking that they were doing good, and was a genuinely good person, don't you think God would spare them?

Stranger: Well you have 2 assumptions there in that paragraph, a) that people live great lives and b) they don't believe in God. Both, the Bible teaches are untrue.

You: So, you can only be a good person if you believe in what you believe?

Stranger: You can only be a good person if God, who is perfect, makes you good and he does that through Jesus Christ, his Son.

You: Wouldn't he make everyone good, then?

Stranger: No

You: Why not?

You: If he truly wanted everyone to believe in him, why wouldn't he make them that way?

Stranger: Because he isn't just good, he is also just. And his justice will be shown by judging sin and sentencing sinners to hell.

You: He makes people sinners just so he'd have someone to send to hell?

Stranger: Everyone does believe in him ultimately.

Stranger: He never made us sinners, we make us sinners.

You: That's your philosophy, and I respect that, but you told me that "you can only be a good person if God makes you good." You said "if." What if God doesn't make you good then?

Stranger: Right, but that doesn't follow God makes them bad. That's a non-sequitur.

You: I'm not sure what Anglican believe in, but Catholics believe that we're all born with Original Sin, and that God makes us all sinners right from the start and that we need the Church to guide us through life, because it's human to sin, but divine to do good.

Stranger: We believe in Original Sin, but that doesn't teach God made us sinners. God made us sinless, Adam made us sinners.

You: Technically, it was Eve. But, why would he continue the trend of being born with sin right from the beginning if he doesn't like it?

Stranger: No, it was Adam technically... and because he would have had to destroy humanity there and then and God is loving and slow to anger, he wanted to give us a chance to be redeemed and saved if we want to be.

You: But Eve was the one that was deceived, according to the Bible, and she was the one that tricked Adam into eating the apples.

Stranger: Eve was deceived yeah, Adam was not. It doesn't say Adam was tricked at all. He knew what he was doing. He ate to save Eve cos God would have killed her.

You: So... he's the good guy?

Stranger: Adam? He was a sinner, so no.

You: But, according to you, he saved Eve. AND he believed in God, and you told me that the only way to be a good person was if you believed in God.

Stranger: Everyone believes in God, but not everyone trusts in him for a saving faith. I don't know what Adam's situation was when he died so I don't know if he was saved or not.

You: Do you have any doubt whatsoever that he exists?

Stranger: No, sometimes I have questions and questions about scripture but I trust in God.

You: Okay. How do you live in your daily life? Do you preach his word all the time, or do you keep your beliefs quiet? If so, do you preach one thing and do another?

Stranger: I don't preach the word all the time nor do I keep my beliefs quiet. I could do more but do more than others.

You: Ah. Because a lot of people find preachy Christians as being extremely annoying, and, sadly, it was the extremely preachy ones who turned me away from Christianity, because they were constantly pressuring their opinions and beliefs on me and it frustrated me and annoyed me. I'm glad that you're not one of them. What do you think about how hypocritical Christians can be? I know that every one is a hypocrite, but do you try to keep hypocrisy at a minimum?

Stranger: I do indeed. They will be judged what they dish out and will earn less rewards in heaven/paradise if they are sinning whilst they are preaching. Please don't base Christianity on professing Christians though, that's an association fallacy. Base it on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

You: I know enough not to base all of Christianity on them, but I need proof, and that's why I'm here. I've been trying to find good Christians, and it seems like all of them on this website are using it as a means of preaching, and they're always trying to convert me or trying to pound their opinions down my throat.

Stranger: Well I believe I can't convert you, only Christ can do that. But I will give you an argument for God's existence if you'd like to hear it?

You: Sure.

Stranger: The argument goes... without Jehovah/Yahweh you can't know truth > We do know truth > Therefore Jehovah/Yahweh exists.

You: Explain. I'm a little confused.

Stranger: Alright, do you know everything?

You: Nobody does.

Stranger: Do you know somebody who knows everything?

You: I surely know people who think that they do.

Stranger: Haha, me too... but really?

You: I just said that nobody does. Human knowledge is constantly expanding, and even the smartest of humans don't know everything.

Stranger: Indeed, so could you be wrong about everything you think you know?

You: I sometimes wonder if I'm alive, or if everything's just a big hallucination. I sometimes doubt my own existence. Everyone has doubts.

Stranger: Ok... so if I said the speed limit of the road outside my house is 5mph but I could be wrong, do I really know it is true?

You: I mean, you should stick to your beliefs unless if there's legitimate proof against it. There's no proof that God exists, but there also isn't any proof that he doesn't exist, so, at the moment, your belief is just as legit as mine.

Stranger: That doesn't answer the question, do I really know it is true if I could be wrong?

You: If you could be wrong, then you don't know if it's true or not. If there's legitimate proof that the speed limit is 5mph, then believe it. If there isn't, then it's indecisive.

Stranger: Agreed... so by that admission, in your worldview you don't know if anything is true as you could be wrong about everything. That's absurd because you do know truth as that itself would be a truth statement and therefore self-refuting.

You: You are boggling my mind with your paradoxical philosophy. People doubt. There's always a part of them that thinks that everything is true, and a part of them that says that everything is false. Just follow your instincts and you'll do just fine.

Stranger: No that's your paradoxical philosophy. In my philosophy an all-knowing, Almighty, morally perfect, personal God exists and he has revealed some things to us so we can know them for certain.

Stranger: Only Jehovah/Yahweh can be that deity.

You: My apologies. I should have said "paradoxical philosophic abilities." Your beliefs are just as legit as mine. I sometimes wonder if God exists or not, and I think that everyone does. Maybe if you truly believe in God, may he bless you. I really can't say anything against your beliefs without me sounding like I'm shoving my beliefs down your throat, and I don't want to be like one of them.

Stranger: No, I think I've demonstrated that your beliefs are self-refuting and paradoxical. Mine are neccessarily true.

You: You believe that your beliefs are true. I told you that everyone has doubts, and to follow your instincts to figure out whether or not God exists, because Atheism and Christianity are practically untrue, because there's no proof to back any of them up. So when you need to figure out what you believe in when it comes to something indecisive like that, just follow your instincts. What's paradoxical about that?

Stranger: No, I've used an argument that is neccessarily true to prove that Christianity is true. Now you can ignore that argument or say "there's no proof", but you've admitted you could be wrong about that, so you don't know that's true.

You: I know that God may or may not exist. As I said, there's no proof.

Stranger: Could you be wrong about that?

You: Could I be wrong that there isn't proof? Well, what proof is there?

Stranger: I've just given you one.

You: What?

Stranger: Without Jehovah/Yahweh you can't know truth. You do know truth. Therefore Jehovah/Yahweh exists.

You: What truth?

You: Human knowledge?

Stranger: Reality, facts.

You: So, you can only know stuff if you believe in God?

Stranger: Yes

You: Animals know stuff without religion. They follow their instincts. They figure out how to do things, you can train them, they can do tricks. They know a lot. A lot of people genuinely deny the existence of God, and they know a lot. In fact, one of the smartest people alive, Stephen Hawking, is an atheist.

Stranger: With animals that depends on the defintion of knowledge... and there aren't any "atheists". Stephen Hawking is a Theist borrowing from the Christian worldview to do science.

You: Where has he ever said that he is a theist?

You: He literally said that there is no God.

Stranger: Never probably... he's supressing the truth in his unrighteousness, as you an all atheists are.

Stranger: and*

You: https://www.google.com/search?q=is+stephen+hawking+an+atheist&oq=is+steph&aqs=chrome.0.69i59l3j69i57j0l3j5.2248j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Stranger: Yeah, he's deluded.

You: Wow.

Stranger: As are you, Richard Dawkins, Ricky Gervais etc...

You: I came on Omegle, hoping to find good Christians, who don't brag, who don't offend people who don't think the way they do, and people who would respect non-Christians. This apparently either isn't the place, or all Christians are apparently like this. Good day.

You have disconnected.