The Gods of Atheism Compared to Christ

I thought this week I would continue in the same spiritual direction as last week where I discussed the movie, The Case for Christ. The movie discusses a real life story of the spiritual journey of Lee Strobel from atheism to Christianity. This week I want to share thoughts from a book entitled: Jesus Among Secular Gods: The Counter Cultural Claims of Christ. The authors are Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale who are part of the RZIM team that speak often to university students concerning spiritual issues in a material world.

Their book speaks to the current secular mindset that is battling for the minds of people in the world. The secularists have been very successful in our school systems in mind numbing young people to think God is a figment of the imagination and that all life came to be by chance macro evolution. But is it based on truth or a leap of faith on the atheist standpoint? Ravi and Vince in their book clearly point out how the Secular Gods of this current age are based on faith. In my book, Living More Than OK, I point out in the spirituality chapter how the atheists are even starting churches to promote their views. This further reveals that they hold onto a belief system just as much as any other religion. We all are believers in something and I have admitted in my blog and book that I follow a belief in the Christian worldview. The book Jesus Among Secular Gods provides the Christian with ample evidence to believe that Jesus is superior to the Secular Gods.

Some of the “gods” of the atheists they showcase in the book are: Atheism, Scientism, Pluralism, Humanism, Relativism and Hedonism. Reading the book it helps to see that atheists carry differing emphasis just as many in other religions emphasize elements of their belief system. Atheism they point out is the denial of God’s existence. Rightly though, they present that belief is along a continuum of light agnosticism of those who admit they are unsure to what I think of as fundamentalist atheists who are obstinate and fully believe there is no God and that those who believe in God are the root of most of life’s problems. They have no proof that God does not exist yet act like they know for certain there is no God. This book provides a look into the belief system of atheism that helps to appreciate their beliefs along the spectrum of agnosticism to hard core atheism. What is also helpful about the book is that it compares the teaching of Jesus and the gospel to the various belief systems held by the atheists.

I will point to a few areas in the book that spoke to my thinking in hopes to encourage you in checking out this book no matter what spiritual journey you are on. One of my favorite chapters was on Scientism which shows how atheists place their faith in science. I have run into many people over the years who feel science has proven God does not exist. Looking at the facts there is no such proof. In my book, Living More Than OK, I point out that many of our great scientists in the past were of a Christian worldview – Kepler, Newton, and Pasteur to name a few. Vince in the chapter on Scientism discusses how science can be viewed as pointing to God. The rationale behind that is how the universe has a beginning, the universe is knowable, the universe is regular, and the universe is finely tuned for life.

For example just one thought to think about from their book is how did the whole universe begin in the first place? Vince presents 3 options: 1. God created the universe – this is what most Christians and other religions believe. 2. The entire universe popped into existence from nothing with no explanation – This is what most atheists believe. I call it the rabbit popping out of the magic hat in the sky. One moment you have vast empty space then bang- out pops a universe. Personally I believe it takes too much blind faith to believe that. 3. His last option is that the universe or series of universes have existed from eternity (pages 66 & 67). He then explores through the 3 options. Is there pure scientific proof for any of the options. I would say no - it boils down to a faith belief. Our worldviews on the beginning be they from an atheist or theist standpoint boils down to our personal belief.

The chapter on Scientism presents another issue that I have always felt moves me towards a belief in God. That is the section on “the universe is finely tuned for life”. The idea is also called the “anthropic coincidence” (of course I do not see it as a coincidence). When observing life on earth it looks like most everything was designed for the purpose of life on the earth. As Vince states, “If the Big Bang had been even the slightest bit weaker, gravity would have made the universe collapse back in on itself almost immediately, far too quickly for any form of life to develop” (p. 80). For myself the amazing beauty of creation and the complexity points to a creator God. If I go to a museum and see a beautiful statue I don’t shrug and think it came to be from happenstance. How much more is the complexity of the world around us. Just the other day, we were watching a hummingbird enjoying a red flower outside our kitchen. How did this amazing bird just pop into being by non-rational chaotic forces? Or in Springtime I am always amazed at the beauty of flowers. Why such variety and beauty of colors? It is like they were created to be enjoyed. Otherwise why didn’t just all plant life keep it simple with one or two colors? For myself, these are pointers to God.

Of course I said pointers to God. I did not say proof of God. Just as I say the atheist cannot prove there is no God I can’t say there is definite proof of God. God is so great why doesn’t He give us the proof? Don’t ask me -- ask God. Personally I think it goes back to faith. God is wanting us to have a faith relationship with him. As for atheism don’t believe the lie they try to foster that they are scientific and rational and Christians and other religions are ‘believers”. Atheists need just as much belief if not more for their belief in life with no God.

Reflection: Take some time to read Jesus Among Secular Gods by Ravi Zacharias & Vince Vitale – buy it or ask your local library to search it for you. Think through your belief system be it theistic or atheistic – why do you believe what you believe? Take some time to explore the wonders of creation around you. What is creation saying to you? Was this amazing wonder created by a Designer God or just popped into being like a rabbit popping out of a magician’s hat?

God’s Not Dead Response To The Reason Rally

Recently as I was thinking about Easter, I have also been reflecting on news reports on two atheist gatherings that occurred in March. One was the Reason Rally in Washington D. C. and the other was Rock Beyond Belief at Fort Bragg. Just looking at the names of the events causes one to question their critical thinking skills. Are atheists the only people who can use reason? With the Rock Beyond Belief the atheists, from interviews, they seemed to be focusing on the common myth they propose that atheism is not a belief. They say they believe in science which is based on facts. Just ask them for their scientific proof that God does not exist and they are usually silent or defensive. What about the “ism” in atheism? From dictionaryreference.com ism is a “suffix loanword from the Greek, used as a productive suffix denoting action or practice, …, a usage or characteristic, devotion or adherence”. So atheism is not beyond belief -- it is a belief.

One of the speakers at both events was Richard Dawkins, noted atheist speaker and writer. He was introduced in a video I listened to of the Rock Beyond Belief gathering, as one of the leading atheists in the world. I found this quite disingenuous as after the introduction Mr. Dawkins jumped right into his diatribe against religion, primarily Christianity. One statement was, “There is no good, honest reason to believe in a god…the only reason to believe something is that you have evidence for it.” But who is honest? He accepted the adulation of the crowd as their atheist evangelist but in the Telegraph, February 24th, 2012 there was an article Richard Dawkins: I can’t be sure God does not exist The article speaks of a meeting Dawkins had with the Archbishop of Canterbury where he admitted he considers himself an agnostic not atheist He said he was 6.9 out of 7 certain of his beliefs. That works out to a 98.57% certainty of no God so that is not a 100% atheist. If he was honorable he should have told the crowd he was speaking to of that fact he considers himself an agnostic. Instead he went on a diatribe against religion hinting that Christians belong in insane asylums to the cheers of the small crowd. In the video I listened to he gave no scientific proof that God does not exist. Of course he can’t as atheism is a belief just as Christianity and other religions are beliefs.

So what does this have to do with Easter? In the resurrection of Christ I believe in a risen Savior who reveals to us that God is not dead. Think over this as you look over the words to a song by the Newsboys. As usual if you click on the title you can look at a video The Newsboys created for the song. It is very well done.

God’s Not Dead (Roarin Like A Lion) Newsboys

Let love explode And bring the dead to life A love so bold
To see a revolution somehow Let love explode
And bring the dead to life A love so bold To bring a revolution somehow

Now I'm lost in your freedom And this world I'll overcome
My God's not dead He's surely alive He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

My God's not dead He's surely alive He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

He's roaring He's roaring He's roaring like a lion

Let hope arise And make the darkness hide My faith is dead
I need a resurrection somehow

Now.. Now I'm lost in your freedom
Now.. And this world I'll overcome My God's not dead

He's surely alive He's living on the inside Roaring like a lion

My God's not dead He's surely alive He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

He's roaring He's roaring He's roaring like a lion
He's roaring He's roaring

Let Heaven roar And fire fall Come shake the ground
With the sound of revival Let Heaven roar And fire fall
Come shake the ground With the sound of revival

My God's not dead He's surely alive He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

My God's not dead He's surely alive He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion...

Their song is a bold proclamation of their faith in a living God. Hope arises through this faith that we have in the risen Christ. Their proclamation reminds me of the verse, Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” In a world where atheists label believers as crazy we can stand and boldly respond to their secular religious faith. The verse says, “it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” Yes it all boils down to belief. But as we read through the Pauline epistles we understand it is a belief based upon sound reasonable arguments. Just because I can’t place God in a test tube or beaker does not mean He ceases to exist.

God’s clear existence is seen in the lyrics, “He’s roarin like a lion”. The lion is a symbol of God. In Revelation 5:5 Jesus the Messiah is pictured as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The atheist declares where is God? Why is he silent? Is the lion’s roar silent? I hear the Lion’s roar of God when I’ve seen the majestic Grand Canyon, looking out at the waves of the Pacific Ocean, or seeing the changed lives of Christians. Going back to the Easter story, look at the changed lives of the disciples. There is no rational explanation other than the resurrection of Jesus that the cowering, fearful disciples should have turned around with most of them boldlygiving up their lives for the message of the gospel.

One other thought, hearing of the Roar of the Lion, for me is seen at the beginning of the song. That is seeing Christ’s love work through His people. “Let love explode And bring the dead to life A love so bold To see a revolution somehow Let love explode And bring the dead to life”. John 13:35 states, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”. I read a story on The Blaze the other day of how an atheist, Patrick Greene in Texas has been affected by the love of Christians in a small Texas town, pouring love out to him during his time of sickness. It is making him change his perceptions or Christianity. This is because he has been trying to stop the Christmas display in town so in his eyes he felt the Christians should hate him instead of love him. That is a pretty loud roar!

Reflection: This Easter think over the roars of God you have experienced in your life. If you journal jot these down for your memory sake.

Worldview Beliefs Shape Our Spiritual Life Journey

I have mentioned that I look at life from a Christian perspective. I believe Spirituality is an important aspect of the Living More Than OK life. Our morals, how we treat others, our purpose in life stems from the spiritual side of life. Personally belief in Christ’s death and resurrection in providing me a fix to the broken relation with God the Father is an all important driving force in my life.

In recent years I have read the works of the new atheists, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Richard Dawkins. I was interested in their arguments against religion. I wanted to compare them with Bertrand Russell’s writings as I read his Why I am Not a Christian? back when I was searching my doubts on Christianity years ago. I found nothing new in their recent books. I saw just the same extreme hate, misconstruing scriptures out of context and emotional ignorant statements that they states as fact when they are just personal beliefs. The same things they complain about religionists, the hate and emotionalism, they do in their writings but even more exaggerated.

The atheists are more rabid against Christians possibly as we are the dominant faith in the West. What amuses me is how in their writings and atheists I have heard on TV point to those who believe in a religion as following beliefs, (these beliefs are foolish in their viewpoint). On the atheists side they say they promote science so atheism has no aspect of belief. They act like it is known fact!. It is to that point I appreciated recently reading Peter Hitchens’ book- The Rage Against God. He tells of his journey from atheism back to the Christian faith that He and his atheist brother, (Christopher Hitchens) grew up in. I recommend this book as an insightful spiritual pilgrimage from atheism to Christian faith. In it he so rightly states the atheism just like religious faiths that believe in God are beliefs. He states, “As he has become more certain about the non-existence of God, I have become more certain that we can not know such a thing in the way we know anything else, and so must choose to believe or not. I think it is better by far to believe.” All of our world views are based on belief. Ask an atheist what is the scientific proof that proves there is no God? They can’t respond as there is no proof that God does not exist.

Of course I honestly admit I can not prove God exists. I believe it. In Christ we are to live by faith. Although, we are not called to live an unreasoned faith. I have had my times of doubt in the past and looked at the opposite sides of other religions and atheism and came back thinking Christianity made the most sense to me.

When I was young I remember looking up at the stars and night thinking there has to be something or someone great behind all this. When I have seen the Grand Canyon or recently visited Niagara Falls again I look at the majestic beauty and say how can anyone say a God does not exist. Nature seems to shout out like a billboard for God that He is! Appreciating nature won’t tell us what kind of God He is. That is where God would need to reveal himself. As a Christian I believe God has revealed Himself through the Bible.

Secular Atheists try to write of religionists and primarily Christians as nuts and fools. The reality is Christianity is a reasoned faith. The Apostle Paul used logical arguments with the Jews and the Greeks to persuade people in his days. Today there are great Christian thinkers like Ravi Zacharias, Charles Colson, Josh McDowell, and others who stand up for a rational faith. Ravi in his book The End Of Reason answers back to Sam Harris’ writings. Ravi shares his life story of being an atheist and shows how the emptiness of it never fulfilled him as his life in Christ has done.

The hate atheists show towards God is the funniest thing that puzzles me. If they do not believe God exists why are they spewing such hatred towards God? IT doesn’t make sense. Just state your case and let it be. Reading their God rants I picture in my mind a rabid dog frothing at the mouth barking wildly at a brick wall. What is this non-existent God doing to the poor atheist? Or is it that the true God is speaking to the conscience of the atheist and that is setting off their wild rants??

Several of the atheist writers mention how disappointed Christians will be when they die and they find out nothing exists in the afterlife. When I read those statements I ponder to myself will I really be disappointed. If the atheist is right will I be disappointed after I die. Will I feel regret that I did not have the pleasure of falling flat on my face drunk in a pool of vomit? That I missed the pleasure of nearly dying from an overdose of drugs? Or maybe missing the pleasure of sexual freedom with all the accompanying sexually transmitted diseases? Yes the true joys of living free without God??

Definitely I will have no regrets? Even if they are right Christianity has allowed me to live a life of purpose. My faith has given me a basis for living justly and showing kindness to others, it is the basis for living a thankful life for all of the good in life and nature. I can really enjoy life to the fullest and be happy and better yet with no hangovers! I turn the question around to the atheist. What if they are wrong and they find themselves before the God they told others did not exist? Often in their books from their comfy leather writing chairs they follow Bertrand Russel’s argument. They say they would stand firmly before God and politely tell Him he had not given enough evidence to convince them. Yeah right! In reality put them before God and they will be sprawled out on the ground sniveling and crying for their eternal destiny.

We won’t fully know what is beyond until the curtain falls on this life. The important issue is to understand your belief system and see how it fits with your purposes in life. Does your worldview make sense or are you living a lie? Doubts will come but they help us think through critically what we truly believe.

Reflection:
Take some time to think through your belief system your worldview. Try to draw a picture of it or write a poem about it. How do your beliefs affect your purpose and happiness in life? If you are curious about what this Christian thing and Christ is all about --try reading through the book of Mark or John in the Bible. As you read through reflect over who Jesus is and who he said he is?