When a cook wants to compare his recipes with those of other cooks, he may want to get an answer that’s not tainted by personal preferences and connections. So, he might ask people who are not cooks whose food they think is better.
When Christians want to know if one denomination is better than another, we might want to ask the opinion of an honest atheist. “From your viewpoint, what denomination best follows Scripture?”
“I’m not a believer.”, they may say, “But if I were, I’d be a __________.”
It is not surprising that most non-believers with a sense of history will say something to the effect that: “Well, the oldest of their denominations is the only one that can be said to be a continuation of Christ’s statement, ‘Thou are Peter, and on this rock, I build My Church.’ That denomination is The Roman Catholic Church.”
“That’s interesting.”, the questioner may say before again turning to an atheist for advice, “Is there any other way that The Roman Catholic Church is better, more obedient, or more consistent?”
Atheists who have studied the question, thought they are not religious at all, will answer: “Well, I don’t believe any of this, mind you, but it is a fact that Jesus is reported by His disciples to have said, ‘If you do not eat My Body and drink My Blood, you do not have life in you.’ The only religion that has, as the most important part of its ceremony, the transubstantiation of wine and wafer into Christ’s Body and Blood and does so with the authority directly granted to a man who’s succeeded the first Pope, is The Roman Catholic Church.”
It is not surprising that an honest atheist may not be able to resist analyzing and asking: “This Roman Catholic Church has been around for a couple of thousand years. It’s still here, despite powerful people and groups trying and failing to wipe it off the face of the earth. Does The Church reflect another, higher reality that’s invisible to us as long as we believe ourselves to be the kings of creation?”
In such a case, one would hope and pray that the atheist would know a believing, reasonably blemish-free, Catholic to ask.
But, the question, When does one turn to an honest atheist for advice? is answered: When we want an opinion as to which denomination most faithfully follows Scripture.
