Atheists have taught us that it is rational to be ignorant; if, however, we learn Truth, we immediately become irrational. Some atheists (see last week’s article) admit they don’t know how the world came into existence. Christians, however, know that God created the world (Gen. 1:1) because of the natural evidence of the creation (see Romans 1:18-20) and because of the supernatural revelation which God has given us (the Bible), whose authenticity has been overwhelmingly attested in a variety of ways. Atheists reject the evidence, preferring ignorance; then they call Christians irrational.
Among other statements in Nicole Piscopo’s article, “They Oppose Religion in Public Life,” which ran in The Dallas Morning News on Saturday, November 11th, are these:
1. “To some, atheism advocates personal responsibility and is devoid of the ‘wishful thinking’ of an afterlife” (6G).
2. “But fear of divine retribution is not only unnecessary for moral behavior, but is a ‘selfish and depraved’ motivation” (6G).
Does atheism really advocate personal responsibility? Of course, atheists are quick to say so, but such can hardly be the case. Who are all the crimes committed by, Christians? [Now it is true that some who have professed to be Christians have committed crimes and various other sins, but in doing so they trespass against the very teachings they are bound by.] However, what law could an atheist possibly violate, and to whom is he responsible? To be sure, if he transgresses a civil law, and he is caught, then he might face punishment, but he is certainly accountable to no one of any higher authority. How long does it take people to realize, “Hey! There’s a lot I can get away with.”
Without a recognition of the fact that there will be a Day of Judgment, what motivation does anyone have to be moral? To the atheist who contends we ought to be moral, the reply comes back, “Why ought I be anything? And who’s going to make me?” Without fear of the Judgment, motivations become “selfish and depraved.” It is exactly lack of respect for the Bible as the inspired Word of God that has led to the depravity of this age.
Most people are not looking forward to the afterlife in which they give an account to God (2 Cor. 5:10). Many have reinvented it so as to save everyone. People desire the rewards of heaven; they just don’t like the alternative. Accountability and eternal punishment in Hell have become very unpopular doctrines.
LOGIC AND CRIME”This is the country that has the most churches. At the same time, we’re the country with the highest violent crime rate. We have the most churches, but we also have the most prisons” (6G). Is there some kind of link here? Is it commonplace for people to meet for worshiping God and then go murder and rob people? [Actually, most go out to eat dinner in local restaurants.] This statement is about the equivalent of saying, “The United States grows the most corn of any nation in the world, but our literacy rate ranks only 25th. Therefore, we should stop growing corn.”
Anyone wanting a logical connection between crime and something else might consider that we frequently have more taverns than church buildings. Oddly enough, more fights and murders are committed in places that serve alcohol than where people are singing hymns in glory to God. Being “filled with the Spirit” has not been nearly so deadly as being filled with “spirits.”
“MOTHER EARTH” AND RATIONALITYSome atheists are apparently rabid environmentalists. “The planet has suffered under religions that place human life at a higher level of importance than ecology” (6G). “We are profoundly more concerned with this planet and this life because this is all there is” (6G). Are respect for human life and ecology at cross purposes? If so, human life is more important. Man is made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-28); trees are not. Mankind is given dominion over the earth, not the other way around. The earth is not our long-lost mother; God, however, is our Father. What is frightening about atheism is that it pays more homage to rocks and dirt than living human beings. What kind of rationale is that? Will it be advocated that we kill human beings to save the earth?
CHURCH AND STATE”Separation between church and state used to command almost universal respect. Now it’s become a dirty phrase” (6G). Good–it is a dirty phrase–as used by the atheistic lawyers of the ACLU, whose fanaticism has become apparent to most people. The so-called wall of separation between church and state is a myth; our constitution nowhere says any such thing. Our founding fathers believed in God. “Chiseled in the granite of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C., are the words of Jefferson: ‘God gave us life and gave us liberty. Can the liberty of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?” (Five Lies of the Century by David T. Moore, p. 13). Moore cites a number of quotations, proving that separation of church and state never called for separation of G o d and state.