Is atheism strong enough to endure the storms that will assail it - are its opponents gaining ground - am I concerned for atheism's uncertain future? No, I don't want to sound patronising.
Besides, some movements go through phases, and find new strengths in the future, others fade away.
And if one of the big beliefs of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is the survival of the fittest, who's to say what will survive far into the future, when that depends on the survival of time itself? I mean, will anything survive in our solar system after the sun has spent its last calorie and nothing is left but a few specks of ash? Will atheism matter then? Based on its own belief, it won't matter two hoots, but on mine it will matter a lot.
But suppose for a moment it won't matter, why is atheism so determined to gain a following and enhance its credibility? Here are a few reasons, followed by an explanation: • Atheism (the belief that a Supreme Divine Creator does not exist1) is working to counteract the threat it sees posed by religion.
Just look at all the shocking religious conflicts down through history and those that are still with us today, and you get a good feel for why atheists have not only finished with religious ideas and organisations, they also believe a better future would be secured if these were consigned to the ideas trash can.
• Atheism is concerned about its widely held humanistic vision and its goals.
Of course atheists enjoy life and wish to promote values that foster good relations, an optimistic outlook and applying the benefits of science to advance the goals of peace and universal progress.
And in a world where science has such immense authority, atheists believe they have truth and progress on their side.
Whatever about the long-term future, the universal human concern to manage and care for the present is self-evident.
Yes, I suggest atheists see that innate concern as a reason for extending their credibility.
• Atheism relies on the human mind.
Without this any belief system is not going to go very far.
As such, atheism wishes to spread its vision of being the most meaningful and science-based view of life in the cosmos.
Atheistic literature contains a lot of reasoned arguments intended to make converts.
Clearly, atheists reckon their beliefs are credible.
Now, let's look briefly at the thinking behind these reasons.
Just what is it that drives the atheist's concern to gain credibility, demolish religion and banish all thought of a supreme God? A lot of it comes from a strong desire to make a better world, free of hatred and terrorism.
And behind this is the belief in the legitimacy its value judgements.
I can understand this.
There is also a large assumption that the cerebral circuitry of human thinking gives us a valid connection with an objective reality, when all of the time we are really only projecting our inner model - our perception of reality onto a perceived external world.
Here this assumption is taken for granted, that our thinking - and theory of knowledge, is able to give us real facts and objective knowledge, when there is no reason (on atheistic assumptions) why there ought to be meaningful information out there at all.
This is where atheists suppress, or hold down the truth, that the wisdom and rationality of the Creator God is written into the constitution of the universe, including ourselves.
But then the Bible teaches that, by nature, we are fallen rebels who now use our rationality in its independence from God, to create and then believe perverted 'wisdoms' - subtle, profound, alluring philosophies that make man out to be the wisest being in the universe.
But here is one of the biggest dilemmas of all for the atheist - how was that belief discovered in the first place? Was atheistic belief out there as an objective piece of discoverable information, like mysterious handwriting in the sand? No, information arises from within a personal mind with rationality.
On an atheistic premise, if there is no God, how would anyone have ever found out such a stunning piece of negative information? Without an absolute basis for reasoning and the validity of thinking, an assertion like, 'there is no God' has no final meaning because there is no way for the assertion to be related to an absolute reference frame - if there is no absolute reference frame.
As such atheists confuse their naturalistic ideological reference frame with final truth - because they want it to be true! Do atheists really think they have opened the last page of the book? Are atheists 'prophets' able to divine the final meaning of reality and announce it to an astonished world? The assertion 'there is no God' is a claim to final truth, while denying final truth! Yes, the world is in a terrible moral mess (including all the religious conflict) and Genesis has already given us the reason for that.
We have already been given an explanation of our inner hostility against God - that in our 'unrighteousness' (or twisted moral mess) we 'suppress the truth' (Romans 1:18).
Just what is going on? With that penetrating analysis we are shown how we all know that God IS, and how we don't want to know, and so struggle to keep that knowledge submerged, deep down, out of mind.
Atheists are persons made in the image of God, and their denial of God is made while suppressing their personal knowledge of being his image-bearers.
Atheists live with the tension of using their knowledge of a transcendental dimension to deny it.
What chance does atheism have of surviving when it carries the destructive seeds of its own futility? What do you think? I believe there is no chance.
With the biblical revelation of our being the divine image-bearers, the most fundamental act of a rational mind is to accept that its validity flows from the infinite-personal God who has created all things, including my personality and rationality.
And then to accept his infinite grace and mercy offered in Christ who endured in full the just rewards of our hostility when he died on the cross.
When we come to him who overcame death itself, we grasp that we are a lot more than mere molecular survivors - we see that by his amazing undeserved favour, we are valued persons, who become 'more than conquerors through him who loved us' (Romans 8:37).
1.
Beyond the denial of existence, some atheists also include a non-belief in God or gods as equal to atheism.
As for instance, George H.
Smith, Atheism: The Case Against God.
Los Angeles: Nash, 1974.
Of course, atheists are free to offer their own definitions.
My main reservation with this broad definition is that it includes very large numbers of people who in Christian usage may be unbelievers or non-believers, but without them necessarily questioning, doubting or denying God's existence.
To call such 'atheists' is, I suggest, going too far and is rather too easy a way of rapidly and vastly increasing the number of atheists.
Michael J.
S.
Austin, PhD
Besides, some movements go through phases, and find new strengths in the future, others fade away.
And if one of the big beliefs of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is the survival of the fittest, who's to say what will survive far into the future, when that depends on the survival of time itself? I mean, will anything survive in our solar system after the sun has spent its last calorie and nothing is left but a few specks of ash? Will atheism matter then? Based on its own belief, it won't matter two hoots, but on mine it will matter a lot.
But suppose for a moment it won't matter, why is atheism so determined to gain a following and enhance its credibility? Here are a few reasons, followed by an explanation: • Atheism (the belief that a Supreme Divine Creator does not exist1) is working to counteract the threat it sees posed by religion.
Just look at all the shocking religious conflicts down through history and those that are still with us today, and you get a good feel for why atheists have not only finished with religious ideas and organisations, they also believe a better future would be secured if these were consigned to the ideas trash can.
• Atheism is concerned about its widely held humanistic vision and its goals.
Of course atheists enjoy life and wish to promote values that foster good relations, an optimistic outlook and applying the benefits of science to advance the goals of peace and universal progress.
And in a world where science has such immense authority, atheists believe they have truth and progress on their side.
Whatever about the long-term future, the universal human concern to manage and care for the present is self-evident.
Yes, I suggest atheists see that innate concern as a reason for extending their credibility.
• Atheism relies on the human mind.
Without this any belief system is not going to go very far.
As such, atheism wishes to spread its vision of being the most meaningful and science-based view of life in the cosmos.
Atheistic literature contains a lot of reasoned arguments intended to make converts.
Clearly, atheists reckon their beliefs are credible.
Now, let's look briefly at the thinking behind these reasons.
Just what is it that drives the atheist's concern to gain credibility, demolish religion and banish all thought of a supreme God? A lot of it comes from a strong desire to make a better world, free of hatred and terrorism.
And behind this is the belief in the legitimacy its value judgements.
I can understand this.
There is also a large assumption that the cerebral circuitry of human thinking gives us a valid connection with an objective reality, when all of the time we are really only projecting our inner model - our perception of reality onto a perceived external world.
Here this assumption is taken for granted, that our thinking - and theory of knowledge, is able to give us real facts and objective knowledge, when there is no reason (on atheistic assumptions) why there ought to be meaningful information out there at all.
This is where atheists suppress, or hold down the truth, that the wisdom and rationality of the Creator God is written into the constitution of the universe, including ourselves.
But then the Bible teaches that, by nature, we are fallen rebels who now use our rationality in its independence from God, to create and then believe perverted 'wisdoms' - subtle, profound, alluring philosophies that make man out to be the wisest being in the universe.
But here is one of the biggest dilemmas of all for the atheist - how was that belief discovered in the first place? Was atheistic belief out there as an objective piece of discoverable information, like mysterious handwriting in the sand? No, information arises from within a personal mind with rationality.
On an atheistic premise, if there is no God, how would anyone have ever found out such a stunning piece of negative information? Without an absolute basis for reasoning and the validity of thinking, an assertion like, 'there is no God' has no final meaning because there is no way for the assertion to be related to an absolute reference frame - if there is no absolute reference frame.
As such atheists confuse their naturalistic ideological reference frame with final truth - because they want it to be true! Do atheists really think they have opened the last page of the book? Are atheists 'prophets' able to divine the final meaning of reality and announce it to an astonished world? The assertion 'there is no God' is a claim to final truth, while denying final truth! Yes, the world is in a terrible moral mess (including all the religious conflict) and Genesis has already given us the reason for that.
We have already been given an explanation of our inner hostility against God - that in our 'unrighteousness' (or twisted moral mess) we 'suppress the truth' (Romans 1:18).
Just what is going on? With that penetrating analysis we are shown how we all know that God IS, and how we don't want to know, and so struggle to keep that knowledge submerged, deep down, out of mind.
Atheists are persons made in the image of God, and their denial of God is made while suppressing their personal knowledge of being his image-bearers.
Atheists live with the tension of using their knowledge of a transcendental dimension to deny it.
What chance does atheism have of surviving when it carries the destructive seeds of its own futility? What do you think? I believe there is no chance.
With the biblical revelation of our being the divine image-bearers, the most fundamental act of a rational mind is to accept that its validity flows from the infinite-personal God who has created all things, including my personality and rationality.
And then to accept his infinite grace and mercy offered in Christ who endured in full the just rewards of our hostility when he died on the cross.
When we come to him who overcame death itself, we grasp that we are a lot more than mere molecular survivors - we see that by his amazing undeserved favour, we are valued persons, who become 'more than conquerors through him who loved us' (Romans 8:37).
1.
Beyond the denial of existence, some atheists also include a non-belief in God or gods as equal to atheism.
As for instance, George H.
Smith, Atheism: The Case Against God.
Los Angeles: Nash, 1974.
Of course, atheists are free to offer their own definitions.
My main reservation with this broad definition is that it includes very large numbers of people who in Christian usage may be unbelievers or non-believers, but without them necessarily questioning, doubting or denying God's existence.
To call such 'atheists' is, I suggest, going too far and is rather too easy a way of rapidly and vastly increasing the number of atheists.
Michael J.
S.
Austin, PhD
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