Infiltrating The Christians 1: Curt Harlow and Apologetics

I'm a college sophomore, and in my free time I like to attend events around campus that are hosted by various student groups. As co-founder of the new rationalist and atheist club on campus, I'm especially concerned about what the religious groups are saying and doing. Against my better judgment, I've decided to dive into the belly of the beast(s) and listen to what the religious folk have to say.

The first event that I attended was one called, "You Believe What?" The title echoed the incredulity that I often feel when I hear religious arguments. It was hosted by the liberal Christian group on campus. There is also a crazy-right-wing-take-the-bible-literally-prepare-for-the-rapture-heal-gays-get-the-Constitution-replaced-with-the-ten-commandments group as well, but for now, I'm much too scared to attend their events. The Catholics have a club too, as do the Muslims and the Jews. These clubs' events might be harder to infiltrate, so for now, I'm sticking with the liberals.

Anyway, the event was basically an anonymous question and answer session hosted by Curt Harlow, a traveling preacher from California. Attendees wrote questions on note cards before the event started, put them in a basket. Then the youth leader read them to Curt, and he tried to answer them using his professed "limited but growing knowledge of apologetics." I sat in the back and took notes.

There were all sorts of questions asked, and in the end they boiled down to, "It's safer to choose to believe than to not believe because if it turns out to be real and you don't believe, you'll go to hell." That's right, Pascal's Wager. It really is a lame attempt at an argument. Here are a few examples of other questions that came up:

Q: Is the creation story true?
A: The word "day" was translated wrong in the bible so six days actually means six time periods of undetermined length. There is simply too much evidence for the scientific explanations of earth's age and the evolution of life to deny that they're probably right.

Q: Do atheists go to Hell?
A: That's between you and god. **But it's safer to believe and end up going nowhere than to not to believe and end up in Hell**

Q: I'm Jewish. Do I and other people of other religions go to Hell?
A: **Pascal's Wager again with emphasis on accepting Jesus. It's the polite way of saying "yes"**

Q: What is the biblical precedent for marriage?
A: Adam and Eve are the precedent for what marriage should be.

Q: Why are there bad parts in the bible?
A: The bad parts are out of context as we view them through the lens of the person in the story not through god's omniscient lens. All bad things that happen are part of a grander good plan that we don't understand.

Q: Should we be concerned about the end times?
A: I don't have a specific date, but you should fear an imminent apocalypse so you spend your short life well and in the company of Jesus so when the end does come you'll be ready.

At the end, he gave out free copies of C.S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity." I chose to take some free pizza instead.