Evangelist Ray Comfort Tells Atheists 'Hell Is a Very Real Place' Ahead of 'Atheist Delusion' Release
Evangelist Ray Comfort is set to release his apologetic film "The Atheist Delusion" this Friday, and in an interview with Hemant Mehta of "The Friendly Atheist" blog, said that he is convinced Hell is a very real place that people are in danger of ending up in.
When asked in the interview how he would judge the success of the film, Comfort responded: "I believe with every ounce of my being that Hell is a very real place. I know that is offensive and that it almost always brings scorn with it. It was Penn Jillette who asked how much we would have to hate someone if we believed that Hell was real and didn't warn him," he said, referring to his conversation with the atheist author.
Comfort added: "So with that thought in mind, what is 'success' to me with this movie? I'm not sure that I can adequately answer that. If you were a firefighter trying to save 10 people from death and managed to save two, is that a success?"
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The evangelist remarked that he has been preaching to atheists for the past 40 years, and is used to his films and videos being picked apart by people who disagree with him.
"When I see 100,000 views on a video, I trust that some of those are thinking about what I'm saying as regards their eternal salvation. And that's my consolation," he said.
"Now and then I read the comments under videos. Most of them are pretty harsh, but they don't worry me because I've been mocked for years. That's part of being a Christian. It's a cross we have to carry. I read where one said that my name was like 'a dial in a sun tanning booth.' That made me laugh."
Comfort's full interview with Mehta is available on "The Friendly Atheist" blog.
The evangelist most recently attempted to give away close to $25,000 in Subway gift cards to atheists attending the Reason Rally in Washington, D.C. in June, but was blocked by police from doing so.
Over 1,000 Christians registered to join the outreach for the atheist event, but police said that such a gathering "constituted a protest" and would have needed a permit.
Comfort's team later said that it would be giving the gift cards to homeless people instead.
The evangelist has been promoting "The Atheist Delusion" on social media in recent weeks, which features conversations with a number of atheists about different questions relating to God, with a few atheists seemingly beginning to change their mind at the end.
Comfort has also sent several messages to atheists, warning them that life without God is darkness.
"How terrible it is to live in the kingdom of darkness, having the understanding darkened, and being alienated from the life of God. How our hearts should break for those who have no idea of their origins, of the purpose for their existence, and of where they will spend eternity," he wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.
"But for the Christian, we understand that we were created by God, for God, and that we will spend eternity with Him enjoying pleasures forevermore," he added.
"We also understand how sin destroys, why we need the Savior, why there is suffering, why there is so much evil, and how God can grant a dying sinner everlasting life in an instant."
