An atheist's most powerful weapon is emotion. Hard-hitting statements, such as the one in the red speech bubble in the header image, have a stronger impact on the heart than any logical argument will have on the head. But when you set your emotions aside and start to think about it reasonably, the argument loses its power.
Needless to say, stopping someone from committing a violent sin is a very noble thing. Rape, murder, even stopping a thief is a good thing. The question is, then, if God is so good, why doesn't He use His power to do so? Let us swap the violent sins for other sins. What about porn? Many of those who use the original argument would passionately defend a person's right to consume it. No atheist is going to brag "if I could stop a porn addict, I would. That is the difference between me and your God." Or let's go one step further: Fornication. Now you're not just watching the act, but actively participating. Yet, we live in a world of "my body, my choice". Alcoholism? We see it as a tragedy when it goes too far, but our culture revels in how much we drink. Homosexuality, gluttony, ironically even abortion, this is just a short list of sinful things our culture indulges in.
And so back to the original question: Why does God not use His power to stop rape? The answer: for the same reason He does not use it to stop you from sinning. In the Bible, we are told that if you keep the whole law, and yet offend just one time, you are guilty with regard to all of it, for it's the same God against whom you have sinned (James 2:10-11). A murderer may not rape, a rapist may not steal, a thief may not murder, they are all criminals.
To illustrate this point, let's talk about someone who actually did stop a violent crime. A young girl was snatched up into a car in the sight of a very heroic teenager (whom I have chosen not to name this time, though I have in past articles). Seeing the crime occur, he got on his bike and gave chase until eventually, the kidnappers gave up. They released the child and escaped. The girl was saved. Sadly, not long after, the teenager was involved in an armed robbery. His lawyers pleaded his case, even drawing attention to his previous act of heroism. The result? Guilty as charged. The teen's good acts don't give him license to commit bad ones.
And so, my atheist friends, if you would stop a rapist, good. And if you have stopped a rapist, I congratulate you. Thank you for doing a good work. But just because rape cannot be found on your rap sheet does not mean other things can't. In God's eyes, even hatred is murder. And needless to say blasphemy is a recurring sin in your life to this day. But here's the thing: Though you do not love God, God certainly loves you. He certainly has no desire to convict you of your crimes against Him.
2,000 years ago, God's one and only Son came to the Earth to provide an alternative option. You can still be convicted, but you can also be forgiven. Jesus lived a perfect life, completely free of sin, and died on a cross. Because He died, you don't have to. Confessing Jesus as Lord and believing He rose from the dead guarantees salvation. Come to Him, and inherit eternal life in His Kingdom, where there is no sin. There, God doesn't need to stop a rapist because there are no rapists to stop. No killers. No thieves. Repent, and join us there.