After mulling over the recent blasphemy challenge brouhaha, I have a concern I’d like to express. Spiritual matters aside, I want to draw attention to the potential psychological ramifications of committing such an act as the challenge requires. As long as the person remains an atheist (or at least a non-Christian), I see no problems. However, what if he or she were to come to believe later in life that Christianity is true and that he or she had committed a sin for which no forgiveness can be attained and for which the penalty is eternity in hell?
That people’s beliefs can change as they go through life is true. That people can and have converted from atheism to Christianity is also true. And I submit that if an atheist were to come to believe that Christianity is true and that he or she had committed a necessarily damning act that this has the potential to cause traumatic psychological distress. I find it especially bad that the people who are doing this are targeting the most impressionable members of our societyâ€â€our youth.
Let me make it clear right now that I do not oppose the rights of people to express their beliefs (or lack thereof) on YouTube or anywhere else. I think that even the choice of a person to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is one that he or she should be free to make. What I do oppose is a public campaign which encourages peopleâ€â€especially young people, whose capacities to assess their worldviews and to make informed, responsible decisions based upon them are generally not on par with those of adultsâ€â€to commit an act which carries with it potentially disastrous psychological consequences. I hereby request that atheists who read this voice their displeasure that such a campaign is being conducted.