In describing his own spiritual journey, Epstein says that while he grew up wanting to believe in God, he eventually came to the realization that "what I really wanted was not a God to care for me, but for other people to care for me." Epstein says that miracles and other things pertaining to the supernatural are "no longer helpful." He believes that people have an inclination toward morality because they're aware that they get only one shot at life, and they need to make it count for good.
My son Matthew had urged me and his mother to watch this show with him, because scheduled to appear on it was another atheist named Zachary Bos, whom Matthew had met while doing open-air evangelism at Boston University with his friend Kaleb and two evangelists from our church (along with a few others who joined them). Zachary Bos is the Director of Boston Atheists and refers to himself as the "friendly neighborhood atheist."
"Aggressive atheism" is on the rise. Books denying God's existence have become best-sellers (e.g. The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, and Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris). "Over the last 20 years," said Alan Wolfe of Boston College, "the number of people willing to tell people in surveys that they don't believe in God have pretty much doubled." Even Congress has its first self-professing atheist, Rep. Pete Stark (D-California).
Celebrity atheist Christopher Hitchens, while a guest on "Good Morning America Weekend Edition," said that American believers should recognize they live in a secular state. Says Hitchens,
It would be better for them if they didn't give themselves false conciliation. My challenge is really to say, "Can you name me a moral action or a statement that has been made by a believer that couldn't have been made by a non-believer?"
To that question the Bible provides a ready answer, a response that more than meets the challenge and gets to the heart of the matter:
For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.- Romans 2:14-16 ESV
Far from disproving the existence of God, Hitchen's challenge actually affirms what the Bible teaches about man's sense of morality, how it originates from God, and how it renders man accountable to God.
When confronted by atheists - or any other advocate of false religion - we can respond with confidence, knowing that what we are giving them is not the word of men but the word of God. Atheists resort to mere rational arguments aimed at the head, whereas believers declare God's Truth which penetrates the heart (Heb. 4:12). The sword of the Spirit is infinitely more powerful than the plastic fork of human rhetoric. Therefore, precious believer, remember:
who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.- 1 Peter 3:13-16 ESV
I praise God not only for our open-air evangelists who boldly proclaim the Gospel in the public square, but also for those believers who speak the truth of God in love in their classroom, place of employment, with their neighbors, hair-dresser and whoever else. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17).
So then what is life all about then? I'm sure an Atheist has been challenged with that question. We are only human...we do not control the wind, or the stormy seas..nor are we able to create life or to prevent that life from aging and finally dying. So what is the force behind all of this...what is their answer? What is human life all about then...what is the reason for our existence then?
ReplyDeleteI was recently speaking to a Christian friend of my daughter's whom I have known since a young boy. He is taking a philosophy class in college. He chattered on about his education in this, but I couldn't help but notice how the philosophy he spoke of was much wrapped up in the mind of man and not knowing the heart of God. I know with the advancement of the world we live in many people think we have reached it without the help and power of God...and that it is through the wisdom and knowledge of mankind that this came about. What a sad state of affairs that professors of education, etc., will impart this incorrect information upon the minds of those people who are most impressionable, our young men and women.
The world is much changed in its acknowledgement that we do in fact have a God, but not a God, but GOD, the one and only....how can anyone deny it?
Mary E.
Some people say that religion and politics met when those planes hit the NY buildings on 9/11. They feel that religion itself is destructive. Then, Satan puts Christianity at the top of the list of enemies.
ReplyDeleteI'd be pleased to hear your response about the show, Matt.
ReplyDeleteWarm regards,
Zachary Bos
Zac, I can offer no better response than what God Himself has given through His Word. I know that seems insufficient if not foolish to you, for humanism (by its very definition) attaches prime importance to human rationale rather than divine revelation.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, there IS a God, and He HAS spoken. Creation declares His glory, His moral law is written on every heart so that man is without excuse, and despite man's disbelief and rebellion, God in His mercy and grace has provided full forgiveness and eternal life to all who repent of their sin and put their trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. God has made known to us this Gospel (Good News) through the Holy Scriptures. Here's the bottom line:
"He who believes on the Son has life; he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" (John 3:36). I urge you, Zac, to stop suppressing the truth. Stop exalting the creature above his Creator. Instead, seek the Lord while He may be found. For He has promised that if you seek Him, you will find Him, if you search for Him with all your heart.
I remember a discussion where Pastor Matt reminded us that we are blood bought sinners who bring nothing to the table when accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Christians seek to give God the glory, not claim it for themselves. The Christian knows that God deserves the credit for any "moral successes", because it is the power of God flowing through the believer that allows these things to be possible.
ReplyDeleteGod also works through the actions of non-believers to accomplish things that suit His purposes. For example, let say that a non-believing firefighter heroically saves a child from a fire. The individual, viewing matters only through his own senses, may imagine that he alone deserves the credit for his "moral success", and may imagine that this action justifies him.
What happens is that God watches things with an infinitely wider field of vision than we have. He knows His purposes, and uses means to accomplish them that we don't always understand. You gain an appreciation for God's power when you realize that the Bible relates accounts of God allowing evil actions to occur, which ultimately bring about His purposes. For example: Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, who meant this to harm him. But God through his power used this same action to bring about the saving of many lives, by providing a pathway for Joseph to become a powerful man in Egypt who saved food during times of prosperity, which became very important when there was a time of famine. Joseph did not hesitate to give God the glory for this; he didn't claim credit for himself.
I don’t believe in Atheist. If by definition your 100% sure there is no God. I ask these questions. Out of all the knowledge in the world how much do you know? Out of all the spoken languages how many do you speak? Out of all the books written just last year. How many did you read? If you knew 10% of all there is to know that would be outstanding, probably even impossible but if you did, don’t you think just from an intellectual stand point God could exist in the 90% of knowledge you don’t have?
ReplyDeleteDear Zachary Bos and any other atheists who may be reading this,
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a household of non-religious people. I believed what I was taught, that the Earth evolved millions of years ago, that there is no God, and that those who believe in God rely on hope rather than their brains.
But in my early twenties, I felt adrift in life and decided to search for life's meaning. I decided to search through various religions, thinking perhaps one of them had something to offer me.
In the past when I had picked up a Bible, I would laugh. "How can anyone believe this stuff?" But this time, I began to grasp the Bible as I never had before. I decided to further pursue the ideas set forth in the Bible.
No one was coaxing me or coercing me. I freely entered in to my research, knowing that I could freely discontinue my research at any time.
That was nearly 22 years ago, and I freely choose to believe the Bible. Here are the four corners of why I believe the Bible is true and that God is.
#1) The Universe. None of us was alive in the beginning so we all have to rely on our powers of observation to discern how the world came to be. Evolution says that all the elements came into being somehow and by randomness, the elements formed themselves into small somethings that over time formed themselves into bigger somethings.
My observation of the world is that every plant and animal and nonliving thing has a specific "recipe". As someone who likes to cook, I find it difficult to believe that if I have all the ingredients for a cake on my kitchen counter, over time, they will formulate a cake. A recipe requires a design and a maker. The universe is complex, even more than any recipe, and I don't perceive that randomness can create complexity.
#2) Good and Evil. If we all exist by randomness, then there are no rules. You and I can do whatever we want.
What I observe, however, is that there is some inner moral code. And a moral code is not an indicator of randomness and chance, but an indicator of love and wisdom.
And if there is no God, why be sad or angry when there is rape or murder or thievery? Stuff happens, right?
There is good and there is evil. This, to me, is an indicator that the Bible is true, not Evolution.
#3) Jesus. An atheist will tell you that he either never existed or he existed but is not who Christians claim he is. How does an individual discern between fact and fiction as it pertains to people we've never met? Jurors must do this all the time. Two scenarios are placed before the jurors, they listen, they question, then they must decide the fate of another human being.
Either the claims of Jesus are true or they aren't. How logical is it that a liar and a deceiver would say and do the things that Jesus said and did? And for what? Death?
Millions of people have read the words of Jesus and have believed in him as God. Indeed, that doesn't make it so, but perhaps it does require your further investigation.
#4) Spock. Okay, what I really mean is "let's be logical". If the earth is here by Chance, then my consequence for believing in the truth of Bible is that I'm considered a fool. One day I'll die, and that'll be my end.
If the Bible is true, then the consequence for any Non-Believer is a life without prayer and power to overcome hardship. And death will result in Eternal Separation from God and all things created by God. The Non-Believer will get just what he or she wants, life apart from God, but it will be eternal death.
For the Non-Believer, Earth is as close to Heaven as he or she will get. For the Christian, Earth is as close to Hell as he or she will get.
Dear Friend, please reinvestigate the life of Christ. If I don't meet you in this life, I pray that I'll get to see you in the next life.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Ocean Pelcher Waller
Throughout the history of the church, the most damaging assault on the church has not come from atheism. What has always threatened and devastated the church is spiritual deception. Roy Clements, a pastor in England, wrote, "The church does not have to worry seriously about atheism...it does not seriously threaten the religious consciousness of the world...the real danger is not unbelief but wrong belief, not skepticism but superstition, not irreligion but religion, not the doubter but the deceiver...church history has proven this true." Or, simply, as Psalm 14:1 says, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'"
ReplyDeleteMan's problem is not that he can't find or recognize God or that he can't find or recognize truth. Man's problem is that he will not because as John 3 says they love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. Man is not basically good, man is evil. His nature is bent on sin because, as Romans 3 tells us, there is none that do good, no not one.
Many think that religion is man at his highest, it is not, it is man at his lowest. It is man worshiping something other than the true living God. False religion is man at the bottom, and the brighter the angel of light shines, the deeper the deception and the more the satanic counterfeit is worshipped. So you end up with fools with titles and robes turning out to be homosexuals, pedophiles, or child abusers or flying planes into buildings, all under the umbrella of religion.
G.K. Chesterton said, "When people abandon the truth, they do not believe in nothing, they believe in anything." Anything other than Christ. Unfortunately, if you want to obtain heaven and avoid eternal torment, He is the only path. The deceived do not get in with false religion, the atheist does not get in with no religion. You only get in by Jesus Christ, there is no other way.