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Danville Enlightener VOL. VIII, No. 42
Answering the AtheistMany in our society delight in being considered atheists. Atheists today are becoming very militant in their attacks upon those who believe in God. Several books have been written and are selling very well that attempt to denigrate either God or those who believe in Him. “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins; “God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything” by Christopher Hitchens; and “Letter to a Christian Nation” by Sam Harris are best sellers. A fourth book, “Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon” by Daniel C. Dennett is also selling well. Many who read these books are already unbelievers and are looking for something to bolster their unbelief. Others, some young people, will read these books and decide that God does not exist. I couldn’t begin to number the times I have talked to young men and women who have decided they no longer believe in God. While their reasons for sliding into atheism might differ there does seem to be one underlying theme; God cannot exist because if God does exist then there would be no evil in the world. That is, if God is good and no Christian denies that God is Good (Heb 11:6), then there cannot be bad things. Or, if God is all powerful, and no believer denies the power of God (Rev 16:9), then God would not allow the sick to suffer and the innocent to be harmed. Often the argument goes something like this. If you were to see a small child injured, and you had the ability to do something to restore to health that injured child, then you would do something. Since God does not always relieve suffering then either (a) He does not exist, (b) He is not good, or (c) He is not omnipotent. The
line
of
reasoning
might
be
altered
somewhat.
If
you
could
save
the
life
of
a
young
mother
–
you
would
do
what
you
could
even
if
you
didn’t
know
her.
But
God
lets
young
parents
and
even
young
children
die.
Therefore,
since
God
does
not
answer prayers by showing mercy to the innocent, keeping them from dying then either (a) He does not exist, (b) He is not good, or (c) He is not omnipotent. We must never let those who try to defame and slander God set the parameters of the discussion. While this “argument” seems to sound imposing and even “unanswerable,” in truth it is neither. Atheists revel in this sort of “dodge-ball” because often Christians allow themselves to be sucked in to their “if then” analysis. That is, “if there is evil, then God . . .” Those who deny God or those who live as though God does not exist will conclude that since there is sickness, hatred, immorality and wickedness, then they are present because either God does not exist, or God is evil, or God is unkind. Whichever one chooses God is not to be feared, loved and served. There are remarkable evidences to convince the open minded to believe God exists. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard,” (Psa 19:1-3). In addition to the wonders of creation and the marvelous universe, we have the revealed mind of God, the Bible. “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit,” (2 Pet 1:19-21). The problem with this irrational way of thinking of atheists is they misunderstand the reason for sicknesses, evil and all that which is in the world. The reason for sin, sickness, wickedness and all manner of evil is because of the absence of God. Ever since man was banished from the Garden of Eden the human family have, like Cain, gone out “from the presence of the Lord” (Gen 4:16). Paul pictures it this way “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man-- and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up . . .” (Rom 1:19-24). Think of it like this; there is no such thing as “cold.” Cold in reality is the absence of heat. There can be lots and lots of heat from warm to “white heat.” Cold, even 458 degrees below zero is simply the absence of heat. We call it cold but it is really no heat; cold isn’t the opposite of heat it is the absence of it. The atheist argues from the premise of duality; that is heat is the opposite of cold, life is the opposite of death and evil is the opposite of good. Take death for a moment; “For as the body without the spirit is dead,” (Jas 2:26). Death is the absence of life. Death cannot exist unto itself; it is the absence of life. The body absent the spirit is dead. This is the way it is with evil. Evil, by its very nature cannot exist unto itself. When Paul catalogued the evil of the Gentile world in Romans 1, he was simply describing the absence of God. When God is abandoned evil is the result. Mankind became separated from God and the tree of Life when Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden. The consequence of this separation is evil, sickness and death. These consequences are not a barometer as to whether God exists, whether God is good or whether He is all powerful. Instead these are indicators that we have abandoned, renounced and denied God. “Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity,” (Isa 59:1-3).
-- jrb
AS
I
SEE
IT
“Technically speaking he has obeyed the Bible.” So says someone who describes the activities of another. “She technically has a scriptural right to be married” is something we often hear. This is said in order to justify accepting into local fellowship someone in a questionable marriage. The situation may be something |