Scientific evidence to believe.
Is there scientific evidence that atheists can be reformed?
An Atheist Finds Answers
“THE articles published in your Watchtower and Awake! magazines are incredible! Your latest issues are irresistible! They answer very many questions and also give peace of mind.”
So stated a reader from south India. He was born a Hindu, but his father raised him as an atheist. He says: “I found no purpose in life. Darwin’s theory of evolution sounded absurd. For years questions have taunted me, such as Who is God? Why is this world corrupt? Where do we go after death? Are wicked spirits real?”
Having found the answers to his questions in The Watchtower and Awake! this reader subscribed to both magazines, sent gift subscriptions to his sister, and now passes on the magazines to people he meets. Being a photographer and an artist, he expressed appreciation for the magazines’ artwork, which “speaks for itself.” By reading these fine magazines, you can join the millions worldwide who have had their questions answered and have gained peace of mind.*** g99 12/8 p. 32 An Atheist Finds Answers ***
Evidence of Bible truth
Before Mats learned about the truth from God’s Word, he was an atheist and had strong communist leanings in his native country of Sweden. Mats explains: “Religion presented to me a greedy and cruel god because of its hellfire teaching and blessing of wars. I didn’t want to be in contact with such a god, so politics was the only hope in my mind. However, my uncle repeatedly invited me to his home. I was reluctant to go because I knew he was some kind of Christian.
“However, on one occasion while visiting him, I preached to him about my political ideals. He calmly listened and then showed me evidence of Bible truth. He began an organized study of the Bible with me. Soon I made the decision to resign from the army. My army superiors were shocked. They even sent a minister to talk to me. I asked the minister if he felt my decision was Scriptural. After a long pause he said, ‘Yes.’ Ten months later I was baptized.” *** g87 3/8 p. 18 Gilead Students—United Though Diverse ***
“Please excuse us, Mrs. Schmidt. You have forgotten that we are atheists.”
“Nevertheless, I continued visiting this nice family. Somehow I felt that something was not quite in order. Finally I noticed that they had family problems. They were already speaking of divorce.”
The sister showed them from the Bible how to overcome such problems. Astonished at the practical counsel contained in the Bible, the couple now agreed to a Bible study. More and more their marriage was strengthened. Eventually they accepted the truth and were immersed in the spring of 1979.
How does Brother Jiri Lundák now feel?
“Previously I just could not tolerate hearing the words ‘holy,’ ‘angel,’ and similar terms; it hurt my ears. I did not want to hear anything about meetings either. But now everything is changed. My free time belongs to God and my family. Also, as regards friends, we have made changes. Now I know how important the meetings are. I learned to assume the responsibility of being a father, and we have a happy family life. Again I want to thank Jehovah that we were permitted to learn how to pray and that he offered us his hand before we searched for him.” Truly, perseverance does bring good results.*** yb87 p. 204 Switzerland and Liechtenstein ***
Answers to questions that no other religion could give
Hugo, was interested in philosophy and evolution. He considered himself an atheist. But while doing military service, he read the book Life—How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation? (Published by Jehovah’s Witnesses) He found answers to questions that no other religion could give. On completing his military service, he started strengthening his newfound faith in God by studying the Bible and attending meetings with his sisters. Maria and Lucy were baptized in 1992, two years after first hearing the truth, and their brother, two years later.*** w03 8/15 p. 29 True Worship Unites a Family ***
Reasons to praise God
In Finland, six-year-old Markus was diagnosed with an incurable muscle disease. Soon he was confined to a wheelchair. A few years later, his mother took him to a Pentecostal who was gaining wide publicity by claiming to cure sick people. But there was no miraculous healing. So Markus lost interest in God and pursued studies in science and other secular fields. Then about five years ago, a woman in a wheelchair accompanied by a young man came to the house where Markus lived. They were Jehovah’s Witnesses. Markus was now an atheist, but he had no objection to discussing religion and invited them in.
Later, a married couple visited him, and a Bible study was started. Eventually, the power of Bible truth changed Markus’ view of things, and he realized that despite his disability, he really did have reasons to praise God. He said: “I am very happy because I have found the truth and the organization that Jehovah is using. My life now has direction and meaning. *** w97 1/1 pp. 4-5 Why Should We All Praise God? ***
"How perfect the human body is! What a miracle!"
A Dutch pioneer couple approached an Indonesian man who was standing in front of a supermarket. He was pleasantly surprised when the couple spoke to him in his own language. Arrangements were then made to call on him at his home. It was discovered that he had lived in Russia for more than 20 years, during which time he became a gynecologist. He claimed to be an atheist, but he admitted that each time he delivered a baby, he could not help but marvel, “How perfect the human body is! What a miracle!” He agreed to study the Bible and soon came to believe that there is a Creator who cares about mankind. (1 Peter 5:6, 7) Now he is a baptized brother and serves with the Indonesian congregation in Amsterdam.*** w00 2/1 p. 7 Helping People of All Sorts in the Netherlands ***
Immigrants from China accept Bible study
Zealous Kingdom publishers in large cities are using the telephone to reach people in tight-security apartment buildings. On one call, even a wrong number got results. The man who answered was an immigrant who, along with his wife and a friend, had arrived in Canada only three months earlier from China. Though he explained to the Witness that he was an atheist, he was kind enough to listen to the Bible texts she read and to her explanations. An arrangement was made to meet him and his wife for further discussion. The Witness decided it would be best to use the book Life—How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation? to show that existing things must have had a Maker. What a surprise the clear evidence was to the couple! They were convinced to think beyond the claims of atheism. They beamed at the way the Creation book made so much sense in its arguments. This motivated them to look into the Bible. Now a regular Bible study is being held with them.*** yb87 p. 25 1987 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses ***
Satisfying answers to questions that had bothered him
When one woman identified herself as “an atheist and a humanist,” Jacqueline Gamble politely inquired what the woman believed in. The reply was: “In people and life.” The woman was busy, so our sister left a tract and promised to return. Accompanied by her husband, Martyn, Jacqueline visited the home again and referred back to the comment about “people and life.” When they learned that the householder’s husband, Gus, had similar views and was a social worker, they arranged to meet him. Christine, the wife, started to study the Bible and progressed to the point of baptism. But Gus refused to visit the Kingdom Hall. He did notice, though, that since Christine had begun studying with the Witnesses, his children were growing up to be very respectful, in a way that was not characteristic of many other young people.
The turning point for Gus came in 1978. During an international convention in Edinburgh, Scotland, his wife hospitably offered coffee to a group of publishers who were witnessing in her area. Among them were certain members of the Governing Body. Before they left the house, they washed the dishes they had used. When Gus returned home that evening, Christine excitedly told him of her unexpected visitors. “I cannot imagine a cardinal visiting us and washing the dishes!” Gus observed. A little later, when on vacation in France, Gus went with his family to a Kingdom Hall. He was overwhelmed by the welcome they received and the love shown. He soon realized that he would find such love only among the true disciples of Christ Jesus. (John 13:35) Back in Edinburgh, he soon began to study, got satisfying answers to questions that had bothered him,and dedicated his life to Jehovah.*** yb00 pp. 137-139 Britain ***
It is possible even today for an atheist to search the Scriptures
It is possible even today for an atheist or an agnostic to search the Scriptures, build up faith, and develop a strong personal relationship with Jehovah God. After a careful study of the Bible with the aid of the Watch Tower publication Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life, one young man confessed: “I did not believe in God when I started this study, but now I find that knowledge of the Bible has turned my whole thinking around. I am beginning to know Jehovah and to trust in him.” *** w97 10/1 p. 6 Know Jehovah—The Personal God ***
A Scientist Changes His Views
During a lecture I attended in 1970, a scientist named František Vyskočil explained the complicated subject of nerve-impulse transmission. After the lecture I approached him. “Don’t you think,” I asked, “that credit for the excellent design in living things should go to God?” My question took him by surprise, as he was an atheist. He responded with questions of a different sort. He asked: “Where did evil come from?” and, “Who is to blame that so many children are orphans?” He also criticized what the Bible said about polygamy, David’s adultery, and David’s murder of an innocent man. (Genesis 29:23-29; 2 Samuel 11:1-25) I refuted his objections, pointing out that the Bible honestly reports the shortcomings even of God’s servants, as well as their outright transgressions.
Finally, in one of our discussions, I told František that if one is without good motive, if he lacks love for the truth, no form of argument or reason would convince him of God’s existence. As I was about to leave, he stopped me and asked for a Bible study. He said he would read again the book Did Man Get Here by Evolution or by Creation?—this time with an open mind. Afterward, his attitude changed completely, as evidenced by the following quotation he included in one of his letters: “The haughtiness of the earthling man must bow down, and the loftiness of men must become low; and Jehovah alone must be put on high in that day.”—Isaiah 2:17.
In the summer of 1973, František and his wife were baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses. Presently, he serves as an elder in one of Prague’s congregations. *** g96 4/22 p. 16 Ruled by Faith in God in a Communist Land ***
“The Best Conclusion I Could Imagine”
A HIGH-SCHOOL teacher in Spain wrote: “For more than a hundred years, Jehovah’s Witnesses have demonstrated true solidarity, irreproachable honesty and, above all, indestructible faith.” What moved this teacher—a self-styled atheist—to make such a statement?
It all began when Noemí, a high school student and one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, was assigned to write an essay as part of the final examination of her school studies. She decided to develop the theme “The Purple Triangles Under Nazi Rule.”
Why did she choose that theme? Noemí explains: “Since a teacher would oversee my work, I thought I could take advantage of this opportunity to give him a witness. The story of how Jehovah’s Witnesses in Nazi Germany remained true to their principles had touched my heart. I believed that it would impress others as well.”
Noemí’s work had an impact on many more people than she could possibly have imagined. On October 5, 2002, her essay received a prize in a national competition for research on science and the humanities. The prizes for that competition are awarded by a jury made up of 20 academics from prominent Spanish universities.
Noemí received her award from Pilar del Castillo, the Spanish minister of education. Noemí seized the opportunity to give the minister a copy of the videocassette Jehovah’s Witnesses Stand Firm Against Nazi Assault. The minister readily accepted the gift.
Back in Noemí’s hometown of Manresa, the local newspaper highlighted her academic achievement and reviewed the content of her essay. Meanwhile, the headmaster of her school asked for a copy of her work in order to include it in a program to commemorate the high school’s 75th anniversary.
“This is the best conclusion I could imagine for my high school studies,” Noemí says. “I was overjoyed when I read the words that my teacher, Mr. Jorge Tomás Calot, wrote as part of his introduction to my report:
“‘I am an atheist, but I would like to be totally convinced of the existence of this Supreme Being, who inspires in his worshippers the most genuine “love of neighbor.”’” *** w06 7/1 p. 20 “The Best Conclusion I Could Imagine” ***
Why Didn’t She Believe in God?
OLESYA, a young woman in Rustavi, Georgia, a former republic of the Soviet Union, showed two visitors a picture of her parents and exclaimed: “If there were a God, he would not have permitted my parents to die when they were so young!” After Olesya’s husband, Tamazi, came home, the visitors left them the brochures Enjoy Life on Earth Forever! and “Look! I Am Making All Things New.”
When a return visit was made on the couple, Olesya had read the “Look!” brochure and wanted to study the Bible. She liked what she read. During the discussion that followed, she was quick to open the brochure and read the parts that she had marked. The sound arguments had impressed her.
For example, the brochure says: “The glorious wonders that surround us—the flowers, the birds, the animals, the marvelous creation called man, the miracles of life and of birth—these all testify to the invisible Master Intellect that produced them. (Romans 1:20) Where there is intellect, there is mind. Where there is mind, there is a person. The supreme intellect is that of the Supreme Person, the Creator of all things living, the very Fountain of life. (Psalm 36:9) The Creator is indeed worthy of all praise and adoration.—Psalm 104:24; Revelation 4:11.”
Olesya confided later that God’s promise to resurrect dead loved ones moved her to want to study the Bible. We believe that you too will benefit from the faith-strengthening information contained in these brochures. If you want a copy of Enjoy Life on Earth Forever! and “Look! I Am Making All Things New” or would like to have someone call to conduct a free home Bible study, please write to Watchtower, 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483 *** g98 6/22 p. 32 Why Didn’t She Believe in God? ***
Why Some Do Not Believe
Ironically, some people have stopped believing in God because of what they were taught in church. This was true of a Norwegian man who was told that God burns the wicked in a fiery hell. The man just could not understand what kind of God would torment people in that way, so he became an atheist.
Later, however, the man agreed to investigate the Bible, assisted by one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He was amazed to learn that the Bible does not teach that the wicked are tortured in a fiery hell. The Bible likens death to sleep. In the grave, we feel no pain; we are conscious of nothing at all. (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10) The man also learned that those humans whom God judges to be incorrigibly wicked will remain in the grave forever. (Matthew 12:31, 32) The rest of the dead will be resurrected in God’s due time, with the prospect of obtaining everlasting life under Paradise conditions. (John 5:28, 29; 17:3) This explanation made sense. It harmonized with the Bible’s statement that “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) This sincere man continued his study of God’s Word and, in time, came to love the God of the Bible. *** w00 6/15 p. 27 Do You Believe in What You Cannot See? ***
Because no one could answer his question, he too became an atheist
Others reject the existence of a loving Creator because of the prevalence of distress and injustice. They agree with a Swedish man who once pointed to the heavens and asked: “How could there be an almighty, all-bountiful God up there when we have so much corruption and wickedness down here?” Because no one could answer his question, he too became an atheist. Later he began to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. He learned that God’s Word provides a satisfying answer to the age-old question, Why does God permit wickedness?
For additional information on the reasons for God’s permitting wickedness, please see the book Is There a Creator Who Cares About You?, chapter 10, published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.*** w00 6/15 pp. 27-28 Do You Believe in What You Cannot See? ***
They developed faith in Jehovah and made adjustments in their lives
Sergej and his wife, Zhenya, were atheists. But when shown the Bible’s answers to their questions, especially regarding the future, they were astonished. Humbly, they developed faith in Jehovah and made adjustments in their lives, even though that meant Sergej’s changing his employment and forgoing entitlement to a pension that would soon have been his.*** yb99 p. 75 Germany ***
He was eager to learn more
Once they get a taste of it, quite a few people want to study several times a week. That was true of Lars, a man in Denmark who viewed himself as being an atheist. After he agreed to read the book Life—How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation? he quickly became convinced that there is a God. Then he was eager to learn more—so eager that soon he was having three studies each week in the book Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life. Three brothers took turns conducting the study. *** yb98 p. 9 Jehovah’s Witnesses—1998 Yearbook Report ***
“I’m No Longer an Atheist!”
“I met a woman from Poland who is a professor,” reports a missionary in Senegal, Africa. “We had a long discussion, and I endeavored to answer her many questions.” The professor refused a publication designed for Bible study, explaining: “I am an atheist. That book does not interest me at all.” However, she did accept the book Life—How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation?
“When I returned the following week,” the missionary reports, “she excitedly told me that she had read the book from cover to cover. When I proposed examining the Creation book with her, she replied: ‘But I have no need to study that book now! I have read it entirely, and it has completely changed my mind—I’m no longer an atheist! Now I would like for you to study that red book you first showed me, along with the Bible!’” *** w88 3/1 p. 32 “I’m No Longer an Atheist!” ***
Atheist Turns to God
A British philosophy professor who has been called “the world’s most influential atheist” now says that he believes in God. In an online preview of an interview scheduled to be published in the journal Philosophia Christi, 81-year-old Dr. Antony Flew said that he “had to go where the evidence leads.” According to Flew, this evidence includes recent scientific discoveries in the fields of cosmology and physics. Additionally, “the findings of more than fifty years of DNA research have provided materials for a new and enormously powerful argument to design,” he explained. Even the “biblical account [of Genesis chapter one] might be scientifically accurate,” he states. So, is he ready to become a practicing Christian? “It’s very unlikely,” he says. However, “if I wanted any sort of future life I should become a Jehovah’s Witness.”*** g05 12/8 p. 28 Watching the World ***
The Grand Artist—Jehovah!
“ARTISTS paint countless sunrises and sunsets, and their works sell for hundreds, even thousands, of dollars. Yet, Jehovah God, the Grand Artist and Originator of sunsets and sunrises, gives us one each day—free. The originals far surpass the copies. Should that not give us cause to appreciate him as the Creator?” So reasoned a traveling overseer of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hawaii during one of his talks to a congregation.
An atheistic woman, visiting the Kingdom Hall for the first time, was in the audience. She took note of the minister’s reasoning, but strong doubts about the existence of God still lingered. However, as she was driving home from work almost two years later, she was caught in rush-hour traffic. This caused her to notice a particularly spectacular sunset. Her thoughts returned to that traveling overseer’s talk.
She relates: “Instead of being upset about being caught in traffic, I noticed the beautiful sunset, and it reminded me of what the speaker had said about appreciating Jehovah God as an Artist and a Creator. It got me thinking, ‘Perhaps what he said is true; maybe there really is a Creator.’ I thought about it as I continued home, and that night I called my friend who had originally invited me to the Kingdom Hall. I started studying the Bible, and now I worship Jehovah as my God and Creator.” *** w89 1/15 p. 24 The Grand Artist—Jehovah! ***
Atheism No Bar to Jehovah’s Personal Interest
Joseph F. Rutherford was the second president of the Watch Tower Society. He was baptized in 1906 as a Bible Student—the designation Jehovah’s Witnesses were then known by—was appointed the Society’s legal counsel the following year, and became its president in January 1917. Yet, at one time this young lawyer was an atheist. How did he become such a motivated Christian servant of Jehovah?
In July 1913, Rutherford served as chairman of an International Bible Students Association convention held in Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A. A reporter from the local newspaper, The Homestead, interviewed Rutherford, and the account was reprinted in the souvenir report of that convention.
Rutherford explained that at the time he planned to marry, his religious views were those of the Baptist denomination, but those of his wife-to-be were Presbyterian. When Rutherford’s pastor said that “she was going to hell fire because she had not been immersed and that he was going straight to heaven because he had been, his logical mind revolted and he became an atheist.”
It took Rutherford several years of careful research to rebuild his faith in a personal God. He worked, he said, from the premise that “that which cannot satisfy the mind has no right to satisfy the heart.” Christians “must be sure that the Scriptures in which they believe are true,” Rutherford explained, adding: “They must know the foundation on which they stand.”—See 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. *** w97 10/1 p. 6 Know Jehovah—The Personal God ***
A Little Boy With a Flower Reached My Heart
Valentina Cojocaru
Born: 1952
Baptized: 1997
Profile: A teacher under the Soviet regime, she included atheism in her lessons.
In 1978, I was a kindergarten teacher in Feteşti, Moldova. I was also an atheist. At a staff meeting, we were directed to concentrate on children of Jehovah’s Witnesses with a view to teaching them atheism. This, I thought, was agood idea. So I tried to devise imaginative ways to reach the hearts of my Witness pupils. I came up with what I believed to be a good idea.
I asked the class to prepare two flower beds. In one, the children were to plant flowers, water them, and remove any weeds. But they were not to touch the other bed. It belonged to God, I told them. He would care for it himself. The class received the project enthusiastically. Of course, as the children planted, watered, and weeded their plot, “God’s little garden” exploded with weeds.
Then, one bright, sunny day, I assembled the class in front of the two beds. I commended the children for their fine efforts, after which I embarked on my carefully thought-out lines. “Did you notice that God did nothing to his flower bed?” I asked. “See how obvious it is that this bed belongs to nobody?”
The children agreed that it certainly looked that way. I then presented my punch line: “You see, children, this flower bed looks like that because God exists only in the imagination of people. So if God does not really exist, how could he look after flowers or anything else for that matter?”
While talking, I observed the children to see how they were responding. I noticed one little boy, whose parents were Witnesses, getting more and more agitated. Finally, he could not contain himself any longer. He ran to a nearby field, picked a dandelion, and presented it to me, saying: “If God does not exist, then who made this flower grow? None of us looked after it.” His logic was a blow to me. Deep inside, I realized that the child had made a powerful point.
Because of my Communist upbringing, it took years for me to take the next step—to examine the Bible. However, in 1995, I approached the local Witnesses and asked for a study. Imagine my delight when I learned that one of my former pupils was now one of my teachers!
To be sure, the Communist system gave me a good secular education. But it failed to teach me the most important lessons in life. Today, thanks to Jehovah and a courageous little boy, I am able to use both my spiritual and my secular knowledge to help others appreciate that there really is a God and that he deeply cares for his human creation.*** yb04 pp. 108-110 Moldova ***
The resurrection hope
José was raised in the Catholic Church but studied socialist philosophy and atheism. Convinced by university teaching that mankind is the product of evolution, he ceased to believe in God at all. The painful death of his stepson in 1966 made him realize how helpless humans are in the face of death. One day a missionary explained the resurrection hope to him. His interest was aroused, and he began to rebuild his faith in God, but this time on a solid foundation. He learned that God’s Kingdom, not socialism, is the only remedy and became a Kingdom publisher. Since then he has been appointed as an elder and has spent some years in circuit work. *** yb93 p. 175 Honduras ***
Photo Credit: pheezy
