Question 30 – You forgive everything and explain everything, right?
Yes, indeed. We strive to interpret everything through the general framework of the world as we understand it. The person posing this question acts in a similar fashion. Every day, we filter all information and perceptions based on our knowledge and beliefs. It is as if we wear glasses through which we observe the world around us. Some wear the glasses of atheism, others agnosticism, and some perhaps of Christianity. If you are a staunch atheist, all the harmonious elements and laws of nature might appear to you as mere products of chance without deeper significance. Even though the world might be crying out to you from every direction that behind all this harmony and perfect order also exists "some designer," you must silence these cries, ignore them, construct convoluted explanatory theories, and dismiss any testimony of the supernatural with accusations of delusion or suggestion.
Let's consider another example. If I were to proclaim that I was miraculously healed from cancer in Jesus' name. A believing person would give thanks to God because they believe Jesus has truly healed me. A non-believing doctor might interpret this as evidence of yet undiscovered mechanisms of our body that for some reason were activated and stopped the cancer, removing the tumors. A skeptic will insist it must be fraud or some kind of placebo. Another might say that previous tests were incorrect and I never had cancer.
The situation is similar in more practical examples, such as perspectives on specific historical events. Consider the September 11 terrorist attack in the United States. If, for any reason, you don't trust the government, you may view this event as a staged attack orchestrated by the US government. If you trust the government, you accept their official version and interpret the event as a terrorist attack. If you're a terrorist, this event might be celebratory for you, and you might even believe that God rejoices in it. If you're an enthusiast of conspiracy theories involving the Illuminati or Freemasons, this event might hold a completely different meaning for you. Do you understand? Everyone seeks evidence to support their own filter, which is shaped by their worldview.
Same boat
If you wish, you can adapt any evidence to fit your theory. In our attempts to defend our beliefs, we are all in the same boat. Therefore, it is almost pointless to further dissect or argue over this question. The real question should be what we base our life perspective on and to what extent it aligns with reality and evidence. Let's not criticize each other for the glasses we wear; let's ask which glasses hold up against reality.
The argument above pertains to Christianity in general. However, I would like to focus on one specific issue. One of the most common objections against Christians, in relation to this question, involves unanswered prayers or the success rate of believers in everyday life. When things go well, we interpret it as God's blessing. When things don't go well, we create numerous explanations for why that might be. The skeptic laughs, pointing out how we drown in the trap and absurdity of our faith. Yet I claim that, no matter how much I might err in my attempts to explain an unanswered prayer (and we often do err!), it changes nothing about whether God hears our prayers or not. God did not promise us that He would answer every prayer or that we would only experience goodness. There is much we do not know and many things we are unaware of. Therefore, our assumptions are subject to frequent mistakes and errors. It's like walking into a garage and not finding your car. How should I interpret this reality? According to the skeptic's logic, perhaps I should say that I never owned a car at all. But I know I own a car. I drove home in it yesterday, it's in family photographs, and my friends remember it too. Wouldn't it be logical to search for other explanations? I don't know the truth; I don't know where the car is. But it's more logical to think that someone borrowed it, or at worst, it was stolen.
Summation
Every person, including atheists or agnostics who believe in any idea or god, defends their position and tries to "fit" reality into their worldview. It's the same with us Christians. It is essential to examine which stance holds up under deeper scrutiny when confronted with reality.