Are salvation and justification by faith alone, or faith plus works? The answer to this question varies from person to person, and even more so, between two religious groups, those who hold to a monergistic view of salvation, and those who hold to a synergistic view of salvation. In the synergistic group are found the Roman Catholic church, the Orthodox church, and Liberal or “Progressive” Protestants, and some who hold to an Arminian view of salvation. In the monergistic group are found Conservative Protestants, Reformed Protestants, some Presbyterians, some Baptists, and some Lutherans. The most recognizable division on this matter, however, is between Monergistic Protestants and Roman Catholics. Before we delve too far into this, we should establish some biblical definitions of both salvation and justification.

Salvation, as defined by the Bible, is the deliverance from sin and the penalty for that sin, which is eternal damnation; as well as entrance into the Kingdom of God for all eternity. (Mat.19:24-25; Phil.1:19; Acts 16:30-31; Rom.6:23).

Justification, as defined by the Bible, is to be declared righteous by God, based on the righteousness of Jesus Christ. (Rom.3:21-26; Rom.5:18-19; 2 Cor.5:21).

Roman Catholicism teaches that both salvation and justification are initially by the grace of God alone, and for the glory of God alone (Sola Gratia, Soli Deo Gloria). On this point, both Roman Catholicism and Monergistic Protestantism are in complete agreement. The differences between the two revolve around the role of faith and works, and how these two points figure into salvation and justification. While both groups believe faith and works are essential elements of salvation, Roman Catholicism teaches that faith and works result in salvation (and justification); while Monergistic Protestantism teaches that faith results in salvation (and justification), and that good works are both the result and the evidence of salvation (and justification). Therefore, the elements (grace, faith, works) that make up salvation and justification are the same within both Roman Catholicism and Monergistic Protestantism. It is the placement of these elements, and what these elements do with regard to salvation and justification, that are the basis of the disagreement between the two groups.

Like the Monergistic Protestants, the Roman Catholic church teaches that salvation (and justification) is a free gift from God, by the grace of God, and is not “earned.” However, unlike Monergistic Protestants, Roman Catholicism teaches salvation – and thus justification – can be lost. This results in those adhering to this doctrine constantly striving by their works to either maintain their salvation, or regain it once it has been lost. This places the impetus for their salvation, or at least the maintaining of their salvation (by performing good works), on man rather than God. This results in the synergistic view of salvation taught by Roman Catholicism.

This of course begs the question, can man lose his salvation (and justification) once he has attained it by the grace of God? Roman Catholicism and other synergistic faiths say yes; while Monergistic Protestantism says no, man cannot lose salvation once it has been freely given by God.

Monergistic Protestantism teaches that salvation, and as a result justification, is the free gift of God, and that man plays no direct role in attaining it. It is all the result of the grace God alone, through faith alone (with said faith being given by God and not mustered up by man), in Jesus Christ alone, for the glory of God alone, and never by works. Monergistic Protestants refer to this as Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solus Christus, Soli Deo Gloria. Grace Alone, Faith Alone, in Christ Alone, for the Glory of God Alone. This core belief of Monergistic Protestantism is clearly stated in Ephesians 2:8-10, “8)For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9)not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10)For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”

Of course, this is not the only verse in Scripture which teaches salvation (and justification) by faith totally apart from works. We see this taught in:

Romans 3:23-26, “23)since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24)they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25)whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; 26)it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”

Romans 9:30, “What then are we to say? Gentiles, who did not strive for righteousness, have attained it, that is, righteousness through faith”

Philippians 3:9, “and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.”

2 Timothy 1:9, “who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began”

Titus 3:5, “he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 9:16, “So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.”

See also in: Gen.15:6; Hab.2:4; Jn 1:12; Jn 3:18; Jn 5:24; Acts 16:31; Acts 26:18; Rom.1:17; Rom.3:20-22,27-31; Rom.4:1-25; Rom.5:2,9-10,18-19; Rom.6:23; Rom.8:33; Rom.9:33; Rom.10:4,9-10; 1 Cor.1:29-30; 1 Cor.9:29; 2 Cor.5:21; Gal.2:16,20; Gal.3:5-6,8,10-14,22,24; Gal. 5:4,6; Eph.1:7; Eph.2:5; 1 Tim.1:16; Heb.10:38; Heb.11:4; 1Jn.1:8-9; Rev.5:9

As can be seen through these multitude of passages, salvation (and justification) is by grace through faith, and never, ever, by works that we might do. As Paul clearly states, “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” (Rom.5:15-17).

Paul goes on to clarify, “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” (Rom.11:6). Salvation and justification must be grace through faith, and never by works. It must be, because if it is by works, then the grace of God is nullified, and Christ died needlessly (Gal.2:21). “For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us)” (Rom.4:16).

You see, Christ was delivered up and crucified because of our sin, and He was raised from the dead for our justification! Those who have faith in Him have been justified by His shed blood! His righteousness, therefore, was imputed to those who have faith in Him! Therefore, because those who have faith in Jesus Christ have had His righteousness imputed to them and are thereby justified (made righteous in the eyes of God), “there is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” No Condemnation! (Rom.4:11,25;5:9;8:1)

But where do works fit into all of this? According to Roman Catholicism, works are necessary for salvation, either gaining it or maintaining it or regaining it, once it is lost. In contrast, Monergistic Protestantism teaching is in line with the many, many passages (as noted above) that state works are not necessary for salvation. They are, however, the result of, and evidence of, true salvation.

James writes in his epistle, that “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” It is this verse that Roman Catholicism points to, to support its faith plus works doctrine of salvation and justification; and taking this verse, by itself and out of the immediate context of the rest of the chapter and other passages, seems to validate the Roman Catholic position. However, when taken in its proper context, it quickly shows that this is not the case.

Remember Ephesians 2:10 which states, “For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”

This passage is written to Christians. Not to unbelievers, but to those who have already been saved and who have already been justified. Our Lord prepared works for His followers beforehand, and those works are “to be our way of life.” Looking at the second chapter of James, in its entirety, it is clear that not only is James giving instruction to those who profess to be Christians, but he is telling them that a mere profession of faith, devoid of charitable works, is a “dead” faith, a false faith. In other words, faith that is not evidenced by charitable good works is not a true saving faith, and those who profess to be Christian, but do not present any evidence of their conversion, are not saved. They are not Christians. Paul also teaches this. In Romans 7:4, he instructs Christians – again, not unbelievers but Christians – that they are to “bear fruit for God.” This fruit is charitable good works, which, according to Paul, are not only prepared by God for us to do, but we are enabled by Him to do them for “His good pleasure.” (Phil.2:13).

Paul goes so far as to tell his readers that his own good works are not due to his abilities, but rather due to “the grace of God that is with me.” (1 Cor.15:10). That we recognize these good works and our ability to perform them is important. We must realize that they are the result of faith, and not of our own sinful desires or abilities because, as Paul states, “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (Rom.14:23); and Paul gives himself as an example: “even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.” (Phil.3:4-9)

If we do works for our own self-serving reasons, then we are not saved, and we can expect nothing but hell and the full wrath of God. If, however, we are doing them as the result of our faith, we can fully expect our reward of eternal life with the Lord in heaven (Rom.2:6-16). Therefore, our salvation and justification is not due to any good works we may do, as Roman Catholicism teaches, but as a direct result of our salvation. First God calls us to salvation. Then He gifts us with the faith we need to come to him (and without which we would never come to Him), then, after we are saved, we “do deeds consistent with repentance” (Acts 26:20) – deeds which are evidence of our salvation. A lack of charitable good works for the Lord is evidence of our lack of salvation. (see also Rom.8:4; 2 Cor.5:17-18)

This brings us to the issue of salvation. Can one lose their salvation as taught by Roman Catholicism, and therefore must perform good works in order to avoid losing it? According to Scripture, the answer is a very clear, no. Every person who is truly born again of the Spirit and is united with Christ by faith, will be kept secure in their salvation by the power of God until such a time as they go to be with Him.

Scripture tells us in 1 Peter 2:24, that Jesus Christ bore our sins and the result of His sacrifice of atonement by His blood is that we are free from sins. The purpose of this is that we might live for righteousness. (cf. Rom.3:25). By His wounds the true believer has been healed/saved. (see also Heb.2:17; 1 Jn 2:2; 1 Jn 4:10; Acts 20:28; Rev.5:9)

Once saved, we are a new creation. The old person has passed away, and we are a new person in Christ Jesus – IF, we have truly and fully committed ourselves to Him. We cannot live with one foot in the Church and the other foot in the world. We cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve both the world and the Lord. In order to serve the world we must be of the world, and that the true believer cannot be. The true believer cannot maintain a friendship with the world. Doing so places one at enmity with God.
(see 2 Cor.5:17; Mat.6:24; James 4:4; Jn.17:16-26; 1 Jn. 2:15-17).

Christ's blood provides a complete and total atonement for the sins of every true believer. One of the most well-known verses in Scripture is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life.” Notice the sentence stops after the phrase, “have eternal life.” It does not say, “have eternal life until such a time as they lose it.” John 5:24, however, does add to the phrase when Jesus Himself states quite clearly, “Very truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life, AND does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.” “Passed from death to life.” Upon believing in Him, they are saved, they have passed from eternal death to eternal life, and the true believer becomes a citizen of heaven. While here on earth we are simply awaiting the promise that He will transform our body into a glorified body so we can enter heaven. We're in a waiting room, so to speak; and no, we will not leave this waiting room to return to the world. We know this because God has stated in His word that he will complete the good work that He has started in us. He will strengthen us, and maintain us, and ensure our entrance into heaven.

The fact of the matter is, that, “those whom God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn of a large family.” (Rom.8:29). “There is, therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom.8:1), and, we can be convinced, as Paul was, “that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom.8:38-39).
(see also: 1 Cor.1:8; Rom.8:29; Rom.8:38-39; Phil.1:6; Phil.3:20-21; Jude 1:24; 1 Jn.5:10-13; Acts 13:38-39)

Jesus Himself states quite clearly that we cannot lose our salvation. He assures us in John 10:27-29, “27)My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28)I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29)What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand.” He also tells us, “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away” … “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.” … “This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.” … “Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life.” (Jn.6:37,39,40,47)

The Lord knows those who are His, and He will never – yes, NEVER, leave us or forsake us. (2 Tim.2:19; Heb.13:5)

One of the ways our Lord ensures our salvation is to seal us. 2 Corinthians 1:22 states, “by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.” The word “seal” is translated from the Greek word sphragizō, which is defined as a seal of ownership, to prove, or attest, or confirm and authenticate beyond all doubt. In the case of the true believer, it confirms they have been saved. Ephesians 1:13-14 states this even more clearly: “13)In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; 14)this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.” (cf. Eph.4:30; 2 Cor.5:5)

As further assurance, Jesus not only places His seal of ownership upon us, but He continually intercedes for us with God the Father (Rom.8:34). Some may no doubt contend that Jesus may, if our actions call for it, stop interceding and thus we would lose our salvation. However, in Hebrews 7:25 we read, “Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” In this passage, the phrases “for all time” and “always” jump out at us. The phrase “for all time” is translated from the Greek phrase, eis to panteles, which means “unto the complete end” i.e., “completely and utterly.” The word “always” is translated from the Greek word, pantote, which means “at all time, always, ever.” In other words, Jesus does not simply make intercession for us with God the Father, but He does so at all times, every second of every day, from the point of our salvation until we enter the presence of the Lord; and there is absolutely nothing in this passage to indicate that He stops or gives up on us. Remember His promise from Deuteronomy 31:6, reiterated in Hebrews 13:5, when God Himself tells us that He will never leave us, nor forsake us. Ever.

This gift of salvation, that God has given us, that Jesus has sealed us for, that Jesus continually and non-stop intercedes for us is guaranteed. It is irrevocable (Rom.11:29). 1 Peter 1:4-5 tells us that once saved, we are brought into, “4)…an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5)who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

(see also: Job 42:2; Ps.33:10-11; Is.46:9-10; Dan.4:35; Ps.34:22; 1 Jn. 5:4; 2 Tim.4:18; Col.1:13; Heb.9:15; Eph.2:19; Ecc.3:14; Gal.3:29; Gal.4:6-7; 1 Cor.1:8-9; Rom.8:30)

The most common objection to the doctrine of eternal security, or “once saved, always saved” as some call it, is their belief that this doctrine teaches that one can be saved and then engage in whatever sin they choose and still go to heaven. The truth is, however, that one cannot engage in whatever sin they choose and still go to heaven. Such an idea is known as antinomianism, and is a heresy that Paul dealt with in Romans 6.

In the first two verses of chapter 6, Paul asks, and then answers, the question of true believers sinning. He states, “1)What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2)By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?” He goes on in verses 11-16, “11)So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12)Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. 13)No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. 14)For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. 15)What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16)Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

Two things are evident in Chapter 6. The first is that true believers can and will sin, and second, not only should Christians not sin, but there is no reason for them to sin. Paul states in Chapter 6, verses 3-4, “3)Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4)Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” As we can see, being baptized into Christ, into His death, also breaks the bond we have with our sin nature. We are no longer slaves to it because we have been raised (symbolically through our baptism) to “walk in newness of life.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that when we are raised with Christ through baptism, we are a new creation, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” Therefore, there is no reason to engage in any sin at any time.

Additionally, although a true believer may from time to time fall into sin, these periods are short lived, and not a pattern of life; plus they will create within the true believer, an emotional pain, a loathing for the sin they have fallen into. This is the conviction of sin which is brought upon the true believer to drive him/her away from sin and into repentance. As mentioned, the common objection raised against the doctrine of eternal security is that it teaches a Christian can engage in whatever sin they choose, for as long as they choose, because they are going to heaven no matter what. As shown, however, not only does the Lord keep those who have come to Him until they enter heaven, but He also prevents them from engaging in a life patterned by sin. This is clearly stated in 1 John 3:1-10. As a new creation in Christ (2 Cor.5:17), the true believer not only cannot engage in a life patterned by sin, but is actually incapable of living such a life. Specifically, verses 6-9, lay this out very clearly.

The Mounce Reverse-Interlinear™ New Testament presents these verses in both the Greek, and an exact translation of the Greek, thus,

Clearly then, Scripture teaches that a person is saved and justified by the grace of God alone, through faith in Jesus Christ alone, and not by any works that we can do – Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solus Christus, Soli Deo Gloria; and once a person is truly saved, they will, as a result of and evidence of their salvation, engage in those good works that were prepared for them to do by God from before the creation of the world, and they will do so solely for the glory of God.

Scripture also clearly teaches that once a person is truly saved, their salvation is ensured and guaranteed – they cannot lose their salvation, and they cannot walk away from their salvation (1 Jn.2:19). They will remain secure in the Lord until that moment when they enter the presence of the Lord.

Additionally, Scripture also clearly teaches that once a person is saved they will not and cannot live a life patterned by sin. Only those who belong to the devil – the unsaved – are capable of living a life patterned by sin. (see also: Heb.10:26-29; 1 Jn.2:19; Lk.8:4-8,13)

Of the two views, the synergistic view of salvation (held by the Roman Catholic church, the Orthodox church, liberal or “progressive” Protestants, and some who hold to an Arminian view of salvation), and the monergistic view of salvation (held by conservative Protestants, Reformed Protestants, some Presbyterians, some Baptists, and some Lutherans), it is the monergistic view of salvation that is based on Scripture, and not the synergistic view. The monergistic view accepts and depends upon the total and complete sufficiency of God and of Christ's atonement; while recognizing that man is completely unable to come to the Lord of his own accord (Rom.3:9-20). The synergistic view, on the other hand, denies the sufficiency of God and the sufficiency of Christ's atonement, by teaching that man must perform works in order to attain salvation, and must perform works to ensure that God is able to hold him secure in his salvation.

Of these two views of salvation and justification, the Biblical monergistic view and the unscriptural synergistic view; the words of the Apostle Paul seem clearly apropos:

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed!” –– Galatians 1:6-9


Sources:
1. Catechism of the Catholic Church, Chapter 3, Article 2, http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c3a2.htm (accessed 28 April 2017)

2. Eternal Word Television Network Website, Article: Bible Says Faith and Works Needed For Salvation by Sal Ciresi, https://www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/FAWORKS.htm (accessed 28 April 2017)

3. Eternal Word Television Network Website, Article: Justification: “By Faith Alone? By James Akin, http://www.ewtn.com/library/answers/solafide.htm (accessed 28 April 2017)
4. Catholic Answers Website, Article: Are Good Works Necessary for Salvation? By Tim Staples, April 30, 2015, https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/are-good-works-necessary-for-salvation (accessed 28 April 2017)

All Scripture, unless otherwise noted, taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition (NRSVCE), copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Mounce Reverse-Interlinear™ New Testament (MOUNCE) Copyright © 2011 by Robert H. Mounce and William D. Mounce. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

“Reverse-Interlinear” is a trademark of William D. Mounce.

In his atheistic apologetic blog post, “The Atheist Atrocities Fallacy – Hitler, Stalin & Pol Pot,” author Michael Sherlock attempts to refute what he calls the “Atheist Atrocities Fallacy,” which he claims Christians “commonly employ … to shield their egos from the harsh reality of the brutality of their own religion.” Sherlock claims Christians point to Adolf Hitler, Jozef Stalin and Pol Pot as examples of atheist inspired genocide in an attempt to discredit atheism. To prove his point (that Christians are wrong and that their atheist atrocities argument is a fallacy), Sherlock claims that Hitler was actually a Christian, Pol Pot was a Buddhist, and while Stalin was an atheist, he was adopting a religious program of anti-Semitism that began with the inception of the Christian church. (at least this isn't as fantastical as some atheist websites I've seen which claim they were all Christians!).

Setting aside the language used in Sherlock's article which betrays his anti-Christian bigotry; and setting aside his obviously abysmal knowledge of history; I would like to focus on three aspects of his article which I have found to be prevalent among atheists. The first are his claims regarding Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot.
Adolf Hitler Was A Christian
Was Hitler really a Christian? Although atheists have found it popular to say yes, the historical facts say no. Atheists are correct in saying Hitler grew up in a Roman Catholic family, however, all available sources seem to indicate he was not very interested in Roman Catholicism, nor any faith for that matter. His participation in the Roman Catholic church were due to his mother's insistence. Once he was away from home and out from under his mother's care, he abandoned the church, and was never again a participant in any Roman Catholic rites.
As he grew into adulthood, Hitler was known as an irreligious man, one who openly despised what he considered the weakness of Christianity. He was, in fact, more attracted to Islam than Christianity due to Islam's propensity for expansion into other countries, conquering as it did so. Albert Speer, a close associate of Hitler, stated that Hitler complained about Christianity, calling it meek and flabby; and saying he would have preferred Islam to be the common religion among Germans, saying it was “more compatible.”
Hitler was enamored with Friedrich Nietzsche, the German anti-Christian philosopher, and became friends with Nietzsche's sister, Elisabeth Forster-Nietzsche. He was known to hold to Nietzsche's disdain of Christianity, and was quoted by his close associates calling Christianity and “absurdity,” and “an invention of sick brains;” similar to how today's anti-theists refer to Christianity. The same anti-theists who claim Hitler was a Christian
What atheists seem to forget, whether intentionally or not is a matter of speculation, is that Hitler was a politician and a master propagandist. He realized that Christianity was the common religion among Germans, and he considered Christianity, and religion in general, as something to be manipulated to achieve his goals, and that is precisely what he did. By 1933 he had taken control of the German Evangelical Church, requiring it conform to his ideology. When some from the German Evangelical Church broke away and attempted to re-instill biblical principles in the church, Hitler began brutally persecuting and suppressing them.
While Hitler was not an atheist, at least not in the sense of classic atheism, he did hold to and express ideas about religion, and particularly Christianity, that were similar to those found in atheism. More importantly, however, is the fact that Hitler's statements to his close associates, coupled with his extreme anti-Christian actions and behaviors, make it crystal clear that he could not, in any way, be considered a Christian.
Pol Pot Was Not An Atheist
Sherlock, and other atheists, claim that Pol Pot was not an atheist, but was actually a Buddhist. To the extent that as a young child he attended a Theravada Buddhist monastery, this is true. However, Sherlock, and other atheists, conveniently forget that Buddhism denies the existence of God, and is therefore, an atheistic religion. That, however, has no bearing on whether or not Pol Pot was actually an atheist, as by the early 1950's he had joined a communist cell and had become an ardent atheist.
By 1963, Pol Pot had become the leader of the Khmer Rouge. A position he held until 1997. From 1963 to 1981, he served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, and as such, he became the leader of Cambodia in April 1975, serving as the Prime Minister of of Democratic Kampuchea from 1976 to 1979 when he lost his war with Vietnam.
During Pol Pot's four years as the leader of Cambodia, the formerly Buddhist country officially became an atheist country. As such, all religion was banned, and Pol Pot's persecution of all religions was both brutal and extensive. He harassed and repressed and executed all adherents of Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. He ordered the evacuation of Buddhist monasteries, the desecration of their pagodas, sacred texts and images, and he attempted to eradicate all vestiges of Buddhism from Cambodia, sending most of the monks into forced labor camps, and executing nearly 25,000 Buddhist monks.
As a direct result of Pol Pot's zealous atheism, upwards of 3,000,000 people died, according to U.N. sources. Yes, he was an atheist, and yes, people suffered and died because of it.
Although Stalin Was An Atheist, He Adopted A Christian Inspired Anti-Semitism
This position, which has been adopted by many atheists is, at best, anti-Christian propaganda; and, it is based on a complete lack of knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the Bible. If the atheists who propagate this nonsense actually took the time to read the Bible, and made even the slightest effort to understand what they were reading, they would realize there is absolutely no anti-Semitism in Christianity. Based on the mindset of most atheists, however, this will not happen. In order to support their claim of anti-Semitism in the New Testament and in Christianity, they point to a number of New Testament passages. These passages include:
John 5:16 - “For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.”

John 7:1 - “After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.”

John 7:13 - “However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.”

John 8:44 (atheists claim Jesus was referring to all Jews) - “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

John 19:7 - “The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”

John 19:12 - “From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, 'If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.'”

Matthew 27:24-25 - “When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, 'I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.' And all the people answered and said, 'His blood be on us and on our children.'”

Acts 7:51-52 - “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,”

Titus 1:10-11 - “For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.”

1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 - “For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.”

Revelation 3:9 - “Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.”

According to atheists, the passages in John and Matthew and Acts accuse the Jews, all Jews of that time period, of being responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. This conclusion can only be arrived at by cherry picking verses for the express purpose of supporting a presuppositional bias. If the reader goes beyond the specific passages, and reads them in context – just as any other non-fiction book is read – it quickly becomes clear these passages refer not to all Jews, but specifically to the Jewish political and religious leaders of the day who viewed Jesus as a threat to their power and authority, and therefore sought to eliminate Him. The “multitude” referred to in Matthew 27:24-25, is the crowd of rabble rousers employed by those same Jewish leaders. The fact that virtually all of Jesus' followers at this time consisted of Jews, it would make absolutely no sense for Jesus, or Matthew, to be referring to all Jews. In the Acts passage, all one has to do is look at the beginning of the chapter to see that Stephen is speaking to the High Priest, and is not referring to all Jews, but only to the Jewish leaders, just as Jesus and Matthew are doing on those verses. Clearly, the atheists who use these verses to support their false accusations of anti-Semitism in the New Testament, have done no research and have made no attempt to understand these verses properly. They simply want to find something, anything, to support their presuppositional bias.

The atheists claims the Titus passage refers to the so-called Christian anti-Semitic belief that all Jews are obsessed with money and must be stopped; however, the context clearly refers to those who are legalistic and impose their legalistic requirements on others, while not adhering to those same requirements themselves. In other words, the Apostle is referring to those who follow the Jewish leaders, and not the Jews as a whole.
They then go on to imply that Paul was stating the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 was punishment from God for killing Jesus. The primary problem with their interpretation is that Paul wrote that epistle almost 20 years before Rome sacked Jerusalem! Again, the context of the passage provides the proper interpretation. The wrath Paul is speaking of is the wrath guaranteed for anyone who dies in a state of rejection of Jesus.
Finally, the atheists make a huge stretch, and claim the Revelation passage is claiming that the Jews were secretly demon-worshipers. If their interpretation wasn't so sad, it would be laughable. The passage clearly states they are not Jews! The context shows that those who were claiming to be Jews (people of God) but really were not, were those who had falsely converted to Christianity, were professing to be Christians, but were living in open sin; sin that included persecuting the true Christians.
Those who propagate these atheistic lies do themselves a disservice, as they are openly demonstrating their intellectual dishonesty, their ignorance of biblical understanding, and their wanton unwillingness to actually take the time to do the most basic research necessary to accurately understand the true meanings of these passage.
Now, back to Jozef Stalin.
Stalin was an atheist. In fact, he was an adherent of the Marxist-Leninist brand of atheism that gave birth to communism in the Soviet Union. To understand this communistic atheism, and by extension, Stalin's atheism, one need look no further than the comments made by Marx and Lenin themselves.
“The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the halo.” – Karl Marx
“Atheism is a natural and inseparable part of Marxism, of the theory and practice of scientific socialism.” – Vladimir Lenin
“Religion is one of the forms of spiritual oppression which everywhere weighs down heavily upon the masses of the people, over burdened by their perpetual work for others, by want and isolation... Those who toil and live in want all their lives are taught by religion to be submissive and patient while here on earth, and to take comfort in the hope of a heavenly reward... Religion is opium for the people. Religion is a sort of spiritual booze, in which the slaves of capital drown their human image, their demand for a life more or less worthy of man. ...Everyone must be absolutely free to profess...to be an atheist, which every socialist is, as a rule. ...We demand complete disestablishment of the Church so as to be able to combat the religious fog.... But we founded our association, the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party, precisely for such a struggle against every religious bamboozling of the workers.” – Vladimir Lenin
Clearly, atheism played a crucial role in the development of Marxist-Leninist communism, and just as clearly, Marxist-Leninist communism advocated the abolition of religion and the acceptance of atheism. But how did this view of atheist versus religion affect Lenin's protege, Jozef Stalin? While there aren't many Stalin quotes regarding atheism or religion, there is one, recorded in the Russian language daily Soviet newspaper, Moskovskie novosti. Stalin was quoted as saying,
One of Ivan the Terrible's mistakes was to overlook the five great feudal families. If he had annihilated those five families, there would definitely have been no Time of Troubles. But Ivan the Terrible would execute someone and then spend a long time repenting and praying. God got in his way in this matter. He ought to have been still more decisive!
Soviet Russia was an atheist state, one in which religion was not only pointedly discouraged, but at times, heavily persecuted. To help achieve the removal of all religion from Soviet Russia during Stalin's rule, the League of Militant Atheists was created. Headed by Emel'ian Yaroslavskii, the league operated between 1929 and 1947, with the express purpose of the promotion of atheism and the extermination of religion in all its manifestations.
During Stalin's atheist inspired communist reign, approximately 20,000,000 people died between the starvation of the Ukraine and forced collectivisation, the gulags, and the purges.
In addition to Pol Pot and Stalin, other atheist inspired communist leaders directly caused the deaths of millions more. Among them are:
Mao Tse-tung: 40 million
Mengistu Haile Mariam (Leader of Ethiopia, 1977-91): 1,500,000
Leonid Brezhnev (Afghanistan, 1979-1982): 900,000
Josip Broz Tito (Yugoslavia, 1945-1980): 570,000
Ho Chi Min (Vietnam, 1953-56): 200,000
French Revolution/Reign of Terror: 40,000
Vladimir Ilich Lenin (USSR, 1917-20): 30,000 (dissidents executed)
Fidel Castro (Cuba, 1959-1999): 30,000
Slobodan Milosevic (Yugoslavia, 1992-98): 28,000
and the Kim family of dictators in North Korea: close to 1,000,000
This leaves an approximate total of 67,298,000 people dead, who's deaths can be directly attributed to atheist inspired communism.
The atheists primary defense to this historical fact, is, that none of these people were killed because of atheism, but rather for political reasons. This defense simply doesn't apply though. As we have already seen, Marxist-Leninist communism was a direct result of, and heavily influenced by, atheism. If these atheist dictators were not atheists, then they would not have been Marxist-Leninist communists, and if they had not been communists, they would not have caused the more than 67 million deaths.
Atheists will invariably point to the “harsh reality of the brutality” of Christianity (to use Sherlock's words), claiming millions of people have died at the hands of Christianity. Is their claim true? It is estimated that 1,700,000 people died as a direct result of the Crusades which were instituted by the Roman Catholic church. In addition to this approximately 125,000 died as a result of the Roman Catholic Inquisition. Well, that is a grand total of 1,825,000 people dead at the hands of the Roman Catholic church. That's a far cry from the more than 67 million people dead due to atheism. Even if we just arbitrarily throw in another 1, 2, 3, 4, or even 5 million more just because we want to make the Roman Catholic church look really, really bad (which we don't actually want to do), that brings the grand total up to 9,825,000 dead, and that is still less than 15% the number of dead caused by atheism.
The second aspect of Sherlock's article (and the subsequent atheist arguments that subscribe to it) is this issue of who is actually responsible for those deaths ascribed to Christians. Were those 1,825,000 (or 9,825,000) people actually killed by Christians? And that we can definitively answer, no.
When attacking Christianity, atheists invariably fall into the Straw Man Fallacy. Because they do not understand Christianity, or the Bible, or God; they are unable to formulate a realistic argument against Christianity. Instead, they must rely on their misunderstanding of Christianity, and in doing so, they build a straw man based on their misunderstanding, and the result is a misrepresentation of Christianity. It is this misrepresentation they attack and refute, while at the same time, actually saying nothing about true Christianity.
Atheists will, when presented with this fact, almost always claim Christians are employing the No True Scotsman Fallacy. However, since Scripture provides an established objective definition as to what a Christian is and is not, we can legitimately say that no true Christian would or will engage Crusades or Inquisitions such as the Roman Catholic Inquisition; as both are antithetical to biblical Christianity.
And this brings me to the final aspect of Sherlock's article, and that is what is glaringly missing from it. While atheists and Christians can stand on opposite sides of the fence and point fingers at one another, hurling statistics at one another, it is an exercise in futility for both sides, for neither side will give a single inch for the other when it comes to the issue of which side has caused the most deaths. To illustrate my point, I will provide even more statistics:
How many deaths is Adolf Hitler responsible for? 12,000,000 (concentration camps and civilians deliberately killed in WWII plus 3 million Russian POWs left to die).
How many deaths is Hinduism responsible for? Millions
How many deaths is Islam responsible for? Millions
How many people have died as the result of war and torture and murder and neglect? Untold billions
Add all these totals together, and you have the total number of people who have died as a direct result of abandoning biblical Christianity – the one religion that garners the most vehement and vitriolic hatred among unbelievers. War, torture, murder, and neglect are all antithetical to Christianity because they are in direct opposition to the two greatest commandments of Jesus: to love the Lord God with all one's heart, mind, soul, and strength; and to love one's neighbor as oneself. This is what atheism, and Islam, and Hinduism, and every unbeliever is in opposition to. This is what atheists rail against. This is what non-Christian religions and unbeliever activist groups want to stamp out; all because they fervently believe that loving God and loving ones neighbor are horrible ideas to live by.
So all around the world, daily, they actively persecute us, regulate us, argue against us, lie about us, and kill us. With that much hate in their hearts, it's no wonder they can't stand the thought of true biblical love.



Research Sources:
1. The Atheist Atrocities Fallacy – Hitler, Stalin & Pol Pot by Michael Sherlock, Oct 23, 2014, https://michaelsherlockauthor.wordpress.com/2014/10/21/the-atheist-atrocities-fallacy-hitler-stalin-pol-pot-in-memory-of-christopher-hitchens/ (accessed 13 April 2017)

2. Speer, Albert. Inside the Third Reich, New York: Avon, 1971
3. Donald, Leland Holmes, Themes in Ethnology and Culture History, Folklore Institute, 1987
4. Wessinger, Catherine, Millennialism, Persecution, and Violence: Historical Cases, Syracuse University Press, 2000 [“Democratic Kampuchea was officially an atheist state, and the persecution of religion by the Khmer Rouge was matched in severity only by the persecution of religion in the communist states of Albania and North Korea, so there were not any direct historical continuities of Buddhism into the Democratic Kampuchea era.”]
5. Harris, Ian, Buddhism Under Pol Pot. Phnom Penh: Documentation Center of Cambodia, 2007
6. Juergensmeyer, Mark, The Oxford Handbook of Global Religions, Oxford University Press
7. Quinn-Judge, Westad, Odd Arne, Sophie. The Third Indochina War: Conflict Between China, Vietnam and Cambodia, 1972-79, Routledge
8. Philip Shenon, Phnom Penh Journal; Lord Buddha Returns, With Artists His Soldiers, New York Times, January 2, 1992
9. New Testament Anti-Semitism by atheist writer and speaker Adam Lee published on his Daylight Atheism blog, http://www.patheos.com/blogs/daylightatheism/2009/07/new-testament-anti-semitism/ (accessed 13 April 2017)
10. Marx, Karl, Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right, Marxist Internet Archive, https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1843/critique-hpr/intro.htm#05 (accessed 13 April 2017)
11. Lenin, V. I., Religion, Read Books, 2007
12. Lenin, Vladimir, in Novaya Zhizn, No. 28, December 3, 1905, as quoted in Marxists Internet Archive, https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1905/dec/03.htm (accessed 13 April 2017)
13. Moskovskie novosti, no. 32, 7 August 1988
14. Atheism and communism, http://www.conservapedia.com/Atheism_and_communism (accessed 13 April 2017)
15. Victims of the Christian Faith, by “kelsos”, 1996, reprinted on the “Truth Be Known” website of Achraya S/D.M. Murdock, http://www.truthbeknown.com/victims.htm (accessed 13 April 2017)
16. The Right-Wing Doesn’t Want to Talk About Christian Atrocities, So Let’s Talk About Christian Atrocities, by “Josh”, February 7th, 2015, “Americans Against The Tea Party” website, http://aattp.org/the-right-wing-doesnt-want-to-talk-about-christian-atrocities-so-lets-talk-about-christian-atrocities/ (accessed 12 April 2017)
17. Atheism and Mass Murder, Conservapedia entry, http://www.conservapedia.com/Atheism_and_Mass_Murder (accessed 12 April 2017)
18. Atheist Myth: No One Has Ever Killed in the Name of Atheism, by Angelo Stagnaro, Nov. 15, 2016, National Catholic Register website, http://www.ncregister.com/blog/astagnaro/atheist-myth-no-one-has-ever-killed-in-the-name-of-atheism (accessed 12 April 2017)
19. Atheist Governments of the 20th Century: The Death Toll of Godless Goodness, by Rebecca Hamilton, March 9, 2013, http://www.patheos.com/blogs/publiccatholic/2013/03/atheist-governments-of-the-20th-century-the-death-toll-of-godless-goodness/ (accessed 12 April 2017)
20. The Atheist Atrocities Fallacy – Hitler, Stalin & Pol Pot, by Michael Sherlock, Oct 23, 2014

https://michaelsherlockauthor.wordpress.com/2014/10/21/the-atheist-atrocities-fallacy-hitler-stalin-pol-pot-in-memory-of-christopher-hitchens/ (accessed 11 April 2017)

21. Arguments Against Atheism – Atheism is Responsible for Some of the Greatest Crimes in History, by Luke Mastin, 2011, http://www.argumentsforatheism.com/arguments_against_crimes.html (accessed 11 April 2017)

22. The Real Murderers: Atheism or Christianity?, by Greg Koukl, February 20, 2013, https://www.str.org/articles/the-real-murderers-atheism-or-christianity#.WO76ALh71Bg (accessed 11 April 2017)

23. Atheism’s Body Count – Ideology and Human Suffering, The Scholar's Corner website, https://www.scholarscorner.com/atheisms-body-count-ideology-and-human-suffering/ (accessed 11 April 2017)

Recently I was confronted with a comment by an atheist regarding God commanding the Israelites to become cannibals. Two of his comments are illustrative of his charge against God:

Did God really command the Israelites to become cannibals? The Scriptures actually do speak of the Israelites and cannibalism, so let's take a look at what the Scriptures have to say about this:

Deuteronomy 28:53-57
Then you shall eat the offspring of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters whom the Lord your God has given you, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will oppress you. The man who is refined and very delicate among you, his eye shall be evil toward his brother and toward the wife he cherishes and toward the rest of his children who remain, so that he will not give even one of them any of the flesh of his children which he will eat, since he has nothing else left, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will oppress you in all your towns. The refined and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground for delicateness and refinement, her eye shall be evil toward the husband she cherishes and toward her son and daughter, and toward her afterbirth which issues from between her legs and toward her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of anything else, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will oppress you in your towns. (cf.w/ Lev.26:29)

Leviticus 26:29
Further, you will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters you will eat.

2 Kings 6:26-29
As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!” He said, “If the Lord does not help you, from where shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?” And the king said to her, “What is the matter with you?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ So we boiled my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.”

Jeremiah 19:9
I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life will distress them.”’ (cf.w/ Ezek.5:10)

Ezekiel 5:10
Therefore, fathers will eat their sons among you, and sons will eat their fathers; for I will execute judgments on you and scatter all your remnant to every wind.

Lamentations 4:10
The hands of compassionate women boiled their own children; they became food for them because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

As with similar accusations leveled against the Lord by atheists and anti-theists, the individual who made the accusation above simply cherry picked those passages which support his presuppositional bias against the Lord, while failing to take into consideration the context within which these passage appear.

The obvious implication in the atheists accusation is that God specifically and directly commanded or forced the children of Israel to engage in cannibalism. But, does his accusation have any biblical basis? The short answer is no. He did not. Looking at the above passages, with the exception of Jeremiah 19:9 (and note that the passages include those in the atheist's accusation), it is clear the Lord is not commanding, but rather stating what the Israelites will do of their own free will. The reason they made the decision to engage in cannibalism, is that they were under siege and ran out of food and water. They were starving, and faced with death by starvation, they made the decision to murder and eat their children. While I am not going to get into the moral implications of cannibalism, I will state that their decision to murder their children was a direct violation of the sixth commandment to not commit murder.

This is important because it relates directly to the context of the passages. Murdering their children was not a new concept for them, as they had been murdering them for some time by sacrificing them to the false god Molech. They had sunk so far into depravity and sin, abandoning the Lord completely, that the Lord had finally had enough and simply withdrew His protection, allowing their enemies to successfully attack them. Part of that attack included the siege against Jerusalem, which resulted in starvation conditions, which resulted in the Israelites engaging in cannibalism. God did not command them to engage in cannibalism, they simply brought it upon themselves.

To explain further, the Deuteronomy and Leviticus passages are warning predictions to the Israelites as to what would happen if they continued to disobey God. If they simply turned from their sin, and turned back to God, back to living in obedience to Him, they would avoid what would or could be an inevitable outcome. The Jeremiah and Ezekiel passages are also warnings, though more strongly worded warnings. If the Israelites continued following after false gods, and continued in sacrificing their children, then God would lift His protection and allow Israel's enemies to attack and take them. Clearly, the Israelites chose to ignore God's warnings, and the Lamentations passage lays out the horrible result of their continued disobedience.

In each instance of cannibalism recorded in the passages above, the Israelites engaged in cannibalism as a result of their own personal choice to do so. At no time did God command them to do this, therefore, all responsibility falls to the people themselves, and not to the Lord.

Contrary to the accusation made by the atheist noted at the beginning of this article, God's nature does not and has not changed, nor has His morals, nor have the moral parameters He has set forth for mankind to follow. He did not force or require or command the Israelites to engage in cannibalism, but did warn them what the inevitable outcome of their continued disobedience would be. Accusations such as made by the atheist above are false accusations, that are based on cherry picked verses, taken out of context, and misinterpreted in such a way as to support the accusers presuppositional bias against God.

Passages from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation