The Truth About Atheism
As a pastor who engages from time to time with people who consider themselves atheists or agnostics, I am becoming more convinced that the reason for non-theism today has less to do with scientific or philosophical objections and more to do with moral accountability.
What I mean by that is I am hearing very little credible criticism of theism from those I meet but am instead picking up on a heightened personal antipathy toward divine accountability. When I have pressed those who deny the existence of God, the conversation ultimately leads to the real reason for the denial, which is the fear of moral evaluation.
I find people today to be largely governed by their own self-determined ethical standards, and the surrounding culture only feeds this intrapersonal ethic by telling us that freedom means we have no responsibility in our lives except not to injure or offend others. We are told by the media elite and culture shapers that morality is entirely subjective and that no one has the right to tell us what to do.
And, atheism is on the rise in America today because it is easy to like the idea of having no authority but ourselves. There is something very attractive about doing what we like without any moral or ethical interference. So, when we are told that we might be wrong for thinking such things, we are inevitably and understandably offended by that kind of assertion.
Hence, it is not difficult to see why non-theists are so incensed by the suggestion. There is an obvious and increasingly blatant push for atheism in our country today which is gaining ground in American culture because their battle cry resonates so well with the rugged American independence we have so faithfully fostered. And, that independence increasingly seems to include moral independence.
As I survey the human landscape from my own corner of the country, it is painfully apparent that people are embarrassingly insecure and self-centered. Though it is somewhat stereotypical to suggest this, I cannot help noticing that this is largely indicative of our culture. I’m not surprised that so many other countries think we are a spoiled and selfish people given the unabashed display of American hedonism that pervades our culture.
At the heart of this hedonism is the central sin of pride, which has always been an ugly and corrosive agent within the human race. Pride, though somewhat latent for some periods in history, is proudly on display in America today. In fact, we tell our kids that personal pride is a virtue and work hard to instill that pride in them at an early age by giving them rewards and back slaps for even mediocre performance and meager accomplishment.
As postmodernism sets in to popular culture, children are led to think that they are independent moral agents and that no one has the right to tell them who to be or how to act. They really do start to believe that they are the center of their universe. Freedom and discovery are celebrated and self-worship is ingrained in the psyche of kids so that they grow up to despise authority of any kind, especially of the divine kind.
So, is it really any wonder that so many people are declaring themselves atheists and agnostics once they discover that believing in a God outside themselves brings moral and penal accountability? Of course, it is no surprise at all. What is surprising, though, is how ok we are with it. As a nation, we are overwhelmingly accepting of self-worship and are quite afraid of imposing anything on others that would lead to guilt, shame or even worse, judgment.
However, I believe that we are less loving toward others if we are too afraid to tell them the truth, knowing that their ignorance will lead to their condemnation. To merely dismiss the non-theism of others in fear of offending them is to essentially commit a greater sin than their own. After all, the law of love requires us to speak the truth, albeit winsomely, to those who are perishing.
That being said, I want to speak bluntly to those who consider themselves non-theists in an effort to fulfill the law of love taught by Christ. To them, I ask if you do not believe in a divine Creator, is it because you truly know enough about the universe to assert that there absolutely can be no God? And if your answer is yes, then who do you think you are? To definitively deny the existence of God for yourself and others is to go against the overwhelming evidence of order and design around us and place yourself over the vast majority of the brightest minds who have come before you.
Honestly, I couldn’t fathom thinking so highly of myself that I could categorically deny all the evidence of a Creator and assert that I am in fact more intelligent than the vast majority of the human race in every generation. The reality is that you probably do not really think this but you are inclined to disbelieve because you are fundamentally self-centered and deathly afraid of divine accountability.
It is true that if you accept that there is a God, then you are subject to His commands. And, if you are subject to His commands, then you are not your own authority. And admit it…that scares you. That admission takes courage and humility, and it is not easy. However, if you can just muster some humility, then you can find out how much better life can be knowing that we don’t have to be in control.
Truth be told, I cannot think of a reason for living if there is no God. If God is not there, then there really is nothing to prevent anarchy and chaos. We have no legitimate reason NOT to offend and hurt others, and that is not the kind of world that I want to live in. I would much rather live in a world where people are accountable to someone outside themselves for how they live and treat others.
A better world is one in which there is a God who loves us and cares enough about us to instruct us. A better life is one in which there is a God who holds us accountable to higher standards than our own and will judge us for not living up to them. This is in itself reason to believe. Even if you have other reservations about God, His Word or His followers, the simple reason of the common good should be enough.
The truth is that you do not need to understand everything about God in order to believe in Him. You do not need to settle all your questions in order to accept His existence, and your life will run out long before all the mysteries are solved. Believing in God simply requires faith…faith that He is and that He loves.
I invite you to consider these things and be painfully honest with yourself. Ask yourself if your disbelief is rooted in self-centeredness and if you have denied the existence of God simply because you want to. Have you truly rejected God because He isn’t real or simply because He makes moral demands on your life? If the honest answer is the latter, then the only reason you don’t believe is pride.
Therefore, I sincerely implore you to abandon your pride and give humility a try. Jesus told us long ago that humility is pride’s remedy and that it is required to know the God who created you. Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
I’d agree that most non-theists (I like your use of this term in lieu of atheist or agnostic, as some non-theists don’t really know what they DO believe, just that they DON’T believe in God) are less concerned with metaphysics and more concerned with ethics (in a broad sense). Because of the fact that right from the start, they rail against the concept of having a higher authority judge their morals/ethics/actions, they automatically simply reject the study of the ontology of God or man. So people tend to get hung up on things like the existence of evil (without delving further into the study of the concept of theodicy) or create in their minds an image of an overbearing, mean-spirited God that punishes and rules over mankind with impunity (and honestly, who WOULD want to believe in that God, if that’s how you think He is). Without truly examining theism, they may just disqualify God from the start. When really, when you look at mankind, who we are, our “being” and how we got here… it points to God. The ontology of man points to the ontology of God. Mankind doesn’t make much sense without God. It’s hard for some to come to terms with this because they think it makes man insignificant, and people like to feel special and important. But the truth is, despite how great and awesome and powerful God most certainly IS, He is also a loving God that thought we were significant enough to send His Son to die for us so that we could have an intimate relationship with Him.
Thanks, Scott. Those are good thoughts. Thanks for adding them!
How about we simply don’t believe? We live by societies ethics and values, as man always has through out history. It’s very easy to see that early monotheism was created to simply control man with the threat of hell, the ultimate punishment. Every day the sheep flock out of ignorance for some perceived eternal life. Quite simply, as a Christian, you do not adhere to belief systems of say an orthodox Jew although I’m quite sure the Talmud, Tanakh, Siddur, and other books in Judaism predate your own various interpretation of early Christianity. Your forefathers who wrote these books decided what rules you would adhere too and you never thought to question it, although you easily gave up the rules set forth by the Jews.
Btw, can you enlighten this Atheist to which book is the correct one? It’s very confusing what with the King James, Catholic version, Mormon, et al.
How do you, presumably knowing the very history of your religion, believe that Jesus/Yeshua/Joshua is in fact the Christ? It clearly isn’t so in any of Jewish teachings, yet through council long after the supposed resurrection, your religion claims it as truth. The more I learn about Judaism, the more I see what a fraud modern day Christianity truly is.
Off to do secular work in a third world country this holiday simply because it’s the right thing to do. Not because I feel enlightened by some religious ideology that good can only come from a deity.
Thanks for the comment, Sue. I appreciate it. I understand what you are saying but the point of my entry was not to argue specifically for my belief in Christ but for my belief in theism. Judaism, Islam and Christianity are all monotheistic faiths and share belief in a Creator in common, so your comment about the disparity between their traditions is beside the point.
My primary point is that it takes MORE faith and MUCH MORE pride to deny the existence of God and that the primary motivation for denial is not substantive evidence or lack thereof but rather fear of divine retribution. The primary driver against theistic belief, therefore, is simply moral rebellion.
I just want to add to your comment that you “are off the do secular work in a third world country because it is right ” has no meaning if you are a non-theist. If there is no God, then there is no right and wrong, except for what is self-determined. What is right for you may in fact be entirely wrong for someone else, so are you sure what you are doing in that country is “right”?
All I’m saying is that our world is lost in chaos if there is no divine law and Law Giver, and there is no point in living in a world without any moral definition. As I said in my blog, the common good is reason enough to believe in God because without a God there is no common good.
Your idea that we don’t believe because we’re rebelling is very misguided. We don’t believe because for whatever reason that thing which you possess (fear, faith, whatever) doesn’t exist in us. For the record I don’t believe in Santa, the Easter Bun y or the Great Pumpkin. Furthermore it’s audacious to believe that good can only come from a deity. Ridiculous. There has never in recorded history been a god that walked this earth. That is fact. I dare you to show me proof that a god exists, that heaven exist or that he’ll exists.
Brittain is reporting for the first time in history the people who believe in a God are being outweighed by those who don’t. I’d garner that is truth in this country as well, but figures like yourself keep us closeted. Beliefnet did a survey a while ago. No surprise the majority polled said they believed in a God. The surprise was that over half professed this belief out of fear. Fear. That is a terrible reason to believe. No loving God past or present would doom his creation to burn eternally. It negates the very nature of a loving God.
My questioning is very good. You do realize that the Ki g James version was written by people who could barely understand what it wa they were interpreting. You get that many of the decisions about the new Testament were written centuries after the ‘messiah’ walked the earth.
Go, read the books of Judaism and learn why your co-opted religion that has been edited through out time is in fact a fraud. Tomorrow when you celebrate the holiday think about Mithra birth and all the other virgin births in mythology.
Sue, thank you for the thoughtful dialogue. I am grateful for you contributions and am glad you are willing to interact respectfully.
I actually believe that “fear” is not a terrible reason to believe…I think it is the best reason. Fear is the opposite of pride and is exactly the response that we should have to encountering a divine Creator.
I would strongly encourage you to reconsider your assertion that we can be good without God. Without a universal authority to guide us, there is no right or wrong, only preferences established by different cultures and times. And history has borne out that preferences change. Therefore, you would be hard pressed to establish that anything is right or wrong for all people everywhere if there is no divine authority.
You dared me to show you “proof” that a God exists. The first proof is that people’s lives change when they believe in Him. You can’t argue that millions of people haven’t become different because of faith. The second is that there is undeniable proof of design and order in the universe and in the world of an Intelligent Designer. To chalk up all the evidence to “chance” is stunningly naive. The third is that the Bible, which is His Word, is without error and has NOT been edited. The accusation to the contrary is embarrassingly ignorant. Other than certain minor copyist errors, the Bible we have today is the exact same Bible they had 2000 years ago. And the fourth proof is that historical evidence confirms that Jesus did walk this earth and that the tomb he was buried in was empty on the third day. Even the most harsh critics of Christianity cannot deny this fact. They might invent stories about what happened to the body but there is not a shred of historical evidence of a physical body being found to this day. Therefore, the resurrection is proof that a God has indeed walked this earth.
I sincerely hope that you will consider these things and think about whether your non-belief is justified. I really do appreciate your openness to talking.
Fear is a horrible reason to believe or not to believe. One should have absolute 100% unequivocal unwavering good feelings about why they do or do not believe. I don’t
Ken, you misunderstood me-I NEVER said that all good could come without a belief in a God. What I said is not all good emanates from ones belief in a deity. Good is inherit and with in all of us. Society later sets the barometer for what’s good and acceptable. The bible is just an extension of society thousands of years ago. Thousands of years ago, people’s stomachs weren’t able to handle both lactose and meat products, hence kosher laws. Improperly prepared pork gave people trichinosis. More laws.
There is no intelligent design. Intelligent design would not design war, disease, hunger, or poverty. That’s what I’d call ignorant design.
Proof is something that is tangible. Actual proof. All you’ve done is shown that the power of thought or what science loosely calls quantum physics does work. I believe therefore I manifest it into being.
Ken, I implore you to read about the history of the early bible. You appear to be some sort of preacher. How is that you didn’t learn this in seminary? I know many people who’ve gone through seminary and easily accept this as fact.
Lastly I leave you with my favorite verse from the bible. You shall know (judge) the tree by the fruit it bares.
Sue,
I am a minister and did study the Bible for 4 years in seminary. I know Koine Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew, and I have translated the text of the Old and New Testaments as well as extrabiblical literature. I also have studied the Bible every day for the last 15 years and teach it every week. So, I do have more than a working understanding of its history. I am quite confident that the text we have today matches the ancient text (the Dead Sea Scrolls confirm this), and those who deny its authenticity or inspiration have been proven wrong. If you can find a factual error in the Bible, you’d be the first to do so as there is no substantive evidence of textual corrosion anywhere.
As for your suggestion that we should have “unequivocally unwaveringly good feelings” about what we believe, I would respectfully disagree. Faith always includes some doubts and that is why honesty and humility are required. I know that there is a God but I don’t claim to know everything about Him, only what He has revealed to us in the Scriptures and in Christ. I’m ok with that; non-theists aren’t.
You say that “good is inherit and within all of us” but I disagree. Good is NOT inherent in any of us. Everyone is born selfish and self-serving and is not inclined to submit to authority and seek the welfare of others. Have you noticed that we never have to teach our children to do wrong??? They somehow always seem to get that naturally. We must teach them right and good because it does not come inherently. Goodness is not natural and there is proof of this all around us and throughout history. People are inherently evil. That’s the truth.
As for intelligent design, “war, disease, hunger, and poverty” are not the design of a Creator. None of those things existed in the world until PEOPLE caused them. God did not create war…people go to war against each other. God did not introduce disease…people brought disease on themselves. God did not induce hunger…people starve because the earth is corrupt. God did not suggest poverty…people create poverty because we are selfish. None of these things are the design of God. They are the inevitable consequence of rebellious people. The truth is that the world was designed beautifully but that we have sullied and corrupted it with our rebellion.
When I speak of order and design, I am referring to the majesty of the ornate universe and the intricacy of the human eye. No one can explain how things work and fit together unless there is a Designer behind it. The organization of the universe and the eye are clear evidence of a Designer and cannot be explained away as accident or natural cause.
You say that proof must be tangible, which I take means it must be empirical. If that is true, then something is only true if we can substantiate it with one or more of the five obvious senses. In that case, I cannot prove to you that Abraham Lincoln ever lived. There is no “tangible” proof of his existence and yet no one (you included) can deny that He lived. Why? Because of documentated evidence. If you demand that the only way to prove the existence of something or someone is to touch it with your hands or see it with your eyes, then you cannot believe in anything that existed before you were born. You can see why that logic does not hold up.
Sue, I can see that you are an intelligent person and have many reasons why you deny the existence of a Creator, but I just ask that you give thought to the chance that you might be wrong about this. Given your closing statement about your “favorite Bible verse”, I’m wondering if your rejection of theism is more rooted in a bad experience with theists than in the issue itself. I know many non-theists who admit that their spurning of religious faith can be traced back to some negative event or experience. In which case, that would be misplaced.
To hold God responsible for human failures is misguided and unfortunate. I urge you not to make that mistake. Put the blame for evil where it belongs…on people. All you have to do is turn on the news at night to see how wicked people can be toward one another. To pin that on God is not fair simply because He permits us to make a mess of our world. He will clean it up because He is loving and just, but He’s allowing us to prove Him right that we do need Him to save us.
Very thoughtful article.
Maybe that is why the New Atheism is also an angry movement. People have become so attached to their independence that even the thought of dampening their parade makes them lash out. “God” comes to represent everything that is opposed to their lifestyle.
I’m fascinated by it. I’m convinced this is the next great ideological movement of our time, and the church needs to be ready for it. Christians really must become much more educated about their faith to deal with this.
Paul, I agree with you! Thanks for the read and the comment. I appreciate it!
I haven’t “lashed” out. To lash out I would call your belief something derogatory rather than simply realizing you’re entitled to your beliefs. One thing I strived greatly for as a child and as a Christian was to release the ego, very much a Christian theme. I don’t have to be right, because I’m comfortable in my lack belief. It seems to me if you have wavering thoughts of faith, you are questioning the basis of the very thing you defend. I unequivocally 100% know there is no deity other than that “thing” that connects all humans and reflects within all of us. The Internal, not the External. We all possess the power of the mind as it were. We all possess the consciousness to create our own change, simply by the belief that we can.
I can prove to you Abraham Lincoln existed. I visited his tomb, lived within 2 miles of one of his childhood homes, have walked through his various houses, which are all very tangible. There is in fact a body of this man.
With all due respect, don’t label me as someone who had a bad “theist” experience. Church was my childhood savior, it gave me great hope and happiness. I attended church multiple times weekly,sang in the children’s choir, was a youth group participant, attended vacation bible school, took various trips with my favorite pastor. In fact, my first experience with death was the death of this very dear man who I knew for only a couple of years and it did devastate me at age 8. I attended this church through it’s many changes after the good doctors death, enjoying it on so many levels. I reached such a level of consciousness during prayer group as a teen, I’ve never been able to recreate it as an adult. Don’t for one second cast aspersions upon something I hold so dear in my memories. I simply came to the conclusion one day while sitting in a huge mega church in Los Angeles hearing a sermon on “God within” that it truly was within and with that, I was in essence, that “god”. It was like the biggest light bulb over my head and I finally got it and ascended into what some would say is a higher level.
With this I would never say that those who don’t believe do it out of rebellion. Quite frankly and this may be ego, that’s the STUPIDEST comment I’ve ever heard equated to non-belief. If you had said a bad experience, you’d probably describe most people’s experiences. If you had said science, you’d describe people’s experience. If you had said “God” not saving someone, you’d describe some people’s experience as well.
I do believe we create our own experiences, good and bad. We’re not different in that belief. That belief also negates the obvious omnipotent powerful all knowing being by the way. I do find irony that you still believe in a deity when the human condition has so much suffering. No deity who would sacrifice his only son to give mankind eternal life to let people die needlessly in so many different horrific ways. It’s not feasible. It’s counterproductive.
If you can’t see beyond the parables of the bible, then I leave you with a Confucius quote:”By nature man is similar; by practice men is wide apart”. Strive to love the person within, for whoever he or she might be, for the very sameness that exists in all of us, whether perceived good or evil. We’re all born of the same cloth, and from the cloth we’re all born in goodness. It comes from within, not from the exterior. And certainly not from a religion.
Sue,
I’m not sure where I said you have “lashed out”, only that you have perhaps had a negative personal experience with theism or theists. It’s actually quite a common denominator for non-theists. Your experience actually confirms the point of my original post, which is that pride or “ego” as you say keeps us from believing.
I’m wondering how you can be “100% unequivocally” certain that there is no God. You’d have to know everything about everything everywhere at all times to know that. The way I see it, you are gambling everything on something NOT being true. That’s risky, to say the least. The truth is that if I am wrong about God, then I have lost nothing and have lived a noble life but if you are wrong, then you have lost everything. Are you sure you want to take that gamble?
It’s interesting that you say that there is lots of “tangible evidence” for the existence of Abraham Lincoln because you have “visited his tomb and walked through his homes”. Well, I’ve visited Jesus’ tomb and walked through his homes in Bethlehem and Nazareth. The difference between the two men is that Jesus’ tomb is empty. You have to confront that. The very fact that there is NO body in that tomb and that no one anywhere can prove otherwise should give you reason to think…could I be wrong about Jesus?
You said that “no deity would sacrifice his only son to give mankind eternal life to let people die needlessly in so many horrific ways. It’s not feasible.” But, it is. It’s entirely feasible. Even my four year old understands that God gave his Son to save bad people. The suffering and misery in the world is the very reason why God sent Him…to restore what has been lost and heal what has been broken.
Sue, I implore you not to let your “ego” keep you from seeing the truth. Even though you think its the “stupidest” thing you’ve ever heard equated with non-belief, it’s the truth. You are in rebellion against God and you are blinded by your pride. Please think on these things and give God a chance to reveal Himself to you. He will if you let Him.
Thanks Kent! This is really insightful..
This is a paper I wrote a while ago supporting the Theory of Creation-
http://hspolomo18.blogspot.com/2010/09/theory-of-creation-paper.html
Cool, Sarah. Glad it was helpful! I’ll check out your paper.
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