If every Christian should emulate God and His goodness, why are some Christians mean and unkind while some atheists are the opposite?
This was a question directed at world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham. "The kindest person I know is my atheist friend who has no use for God. On the other hand, some of the most difficult and unpleasant people I know say they are Christians. How do you explain this?" someone asked Graham on his website.
Graham answered that not every Christian is unpleasant, although some admittedly are. In the same vein, not every atheist is unkind either. But in a world that's filled with cruelty and thoughtlessness, Graham said people should be thankful for every good person they meet.
"Why is your atheist friend like this? By God's grace, some people simply have been blessed with a sunny and kind personality, or they had parents who taught them to be kind. Perhaps this was her situation," he said. "But I do know this: Your friend isn't this way because of her atheism, but in spite of it."
Graham added that a person who doesn't believe in God has little reason to behave "sacrificially" towards other people. They might act kindly only because it makes them feel good inside. What Graham is certain of is that kind-hearted atheists will become even kinder if they open up their hearts to Christ, because they will have a deeper understanding of His goodness.
An atheist named Hemant Mehta did not care much for Graham's answer. He wrote on his Patheos blog that it was "foolish" of him to think that Christians are kind because God is "forcing" them to be that way.
Mehta believes turning to Jesus does not make people better, because more often than not, they end up being more "annoying" and "insufferable."
"I'll take the kindness of someone who isn't doing it for an eternal reward over someone who's generous in order to please God any day," he said.
