The Freedom From Religion Foundation, according to The O’Reilly Factor (April 17, 2014), sought and received permission to place a sign in Madison, Wisconsin, the state capitol, which reads:
Nobody died
For our “sins”
Jesus Christ
is a myth
This is the way the sign appears—without punctuation, without accuracy, and without truth. In examining the first half of the ten-word propaganda piece, we find that whoever composed the sentence apparently does not believe in the concept of sin, since he used quotation marks. If, then, the individual does not believe in sin, does he believe in good and evil, or are all actions the same? Do we not distinguish between a bank robber who kills four employees, along with a guard, and a philanthropist who donates $10,000 to a cancer sufferer in order to pay his bills? Yet some atheists insist that we are all molecules in motion and that whatever happens does not result from any choice we might think we make; all actions are random. If we are only the result of previous programming (genes) or our environment, then people cannot be any different than what they are.
If such a philosophy were true, then why operate prisons? Why punish a mass murderer when he cannot be other than what he is? And why reward someone for doing well when he is simply following his hereditary impulses? Why make a fuss over the bright teenager and make him valedictorian of his high school class when he is simply the product of good genetic engineering? And why fine the one that is out drag racing on a country road?
An article from the front page of the Orlando Sentinel says that 44 people were caught in a sex sting operation (4-16-14).
An offer of a drink and snacks was all it took to lure the 14-year-old girl into a man’s car. She quickly found out she had made a terrible mistake.
Less than seven hours later, Lake [sic] deputies rescued the terrified and confused teenager after she had been kidnapped and forced to have sex by an assailant who then tried to use her as a prostitute, authorities said (A1).
The man who perpetrated this crime was arrested, along with 43 others, but why? Can any of these people be blamed for what they are? If God does not exist and if “sin” does not exist, then we have no way of defining right or wrong—in fact, we cannot even use those words. We do not know what the person who crafted the word on the sign specifically meant, but the implication is that sin does not exist, which implies that good and evil do not exist. An atheist might find the actions of the one who kidnapped the girl deplorable, but on what basis? If we are living in a material universe, then such things as God, conscience, sin, and guilt are simply manufactured figments of our imagination.
“Are you saying that atheists cannot be moral?” No, what we are saying is that they have no basis for morality because of their core beliefs. Once they admit that the kidnapper did evil, they have admitted moral value, which they deny exists. They might retort, “But they made her an unwilling participant, thus denying her rights and freedoms.” Nice try, but a material universe knows nothing of rights; freedom does not exist in a random universe.
Does an ocean refuse to drown an innocent child? Does a fire refuse to burn to death a young mother and her baby? Does cancer only strike those who have smoked? Is a safe driver immune from a fatal accident? An impersonal world knows nothing of “rights.”
Fairness and Arrogance
Such events are neither fair nor unfair in a world without God because standards and value can only exist in a moral universe. If God does not exist and we originated from a physical universe, then we only imagine that we have a spiritual side. Love, virtue, sacrifice, and nobility comprise wishful thinking. The expectation of a reward for doing right is as much an invention as a place of punishment for the wicked. If atheism is true, therefore, we have no guilt from which to be absolved.
Is it not arrogant, however, for an atheist to state un-equivocally to others that they have no sins? An unbeliever might counter by saying, “You’re just as arrogant by insisting that people need to be forgiven of sins.” But given the two options, most people know they have done wrong. It squares with reality. Why do people make apologies? They know they have acted badly (by their own or someone else’s estimation) and are capable of doing better. Atheism must deny that option, since no such thing as bad behavior exists. So the first statement in the ad is inaccurate, and the vast majority of people know it. We know evil exists and that someone who forces a 14-year-old girl to surrender her virtue stands guilty of objective, moral wrong. It would be presumptuous to try to convince us otherwise.
Is Jesus A Myth?
The second statement is equally erroneous. Ample historical references by those outside of the Bible confirm the existence of Jesus. Do unbelievers honestly think that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John just made up stories? How can the miracles that occurred which caused people to believe in Jesus and the apostles be discounted? Citizens of that age were probably more skeptical than many are today. The claims of Jesus would not have been believed or accepted without abundant proof.
Particularly difficult to accept would be His rising from the dead after being crucified. Nothing akin to this is part of anyone’s experience. How did Peter con-vince the Jews, who clamored for Jesus’ death just 50 days earlier, of the truth of the resurrection? A miracle brought a multitude together; Peter explained that what happened was the fulfillment of a prophecy, as was Jesus being put to death and being raised from the dead. Furthermore, eyewitnesses had seen Him!
People were not gullible in the first century. It would have been difficult to have offered any more proof than what the people received. What could be better than a miraculous event witnessed by hundreds or thousands, at which time the fulfillment of an event prophesied more than 1,000 years previously is explained and vouched for with eyewitness testimony? Anyone who could deny all this evidence could deny anything. Jesus was real, not mythical; He is the Savior of all who choose Him; the Bible is true—and the only source of morality. God created us in His image.
A RELATED MESSAGE
Gary W. Summers
When atheists put forth messages on signs or make such statements in classrooms, Christians must be armed with answers (1 Peter 3:15). As it pertains to, “Nobody died for our “sins,” a few questions to challenge them with are:
- Do you know for a certainty that nobody died for our sins? How?
- Do you not believe in the concept of sin? Do you believe in right and wrong, good and evil? How do you define these concepts? How can they exist in an impersonal, material world?
- If God does not exist, where do values originate?
For “Jesus Christ is a myth,” the following questions are in order:
- Are you aware of the historical references to Jesus outside the Bible?
- How would you go about proving that Jesus is a myth?
- Are you aware of the evidence that exists for the factual Jesus dying, being buried, and being raised again?
It was not that long ago that the British Humanist Association placed the following message on British buses:
There’s Probably No God.
Now stop Worrying and Enjoy Your Life.
The first thing that comes to mind is: Are the fellows who put this before the public atheists or agnostics? If they were atheists, why does the assertion rather lamely say, “There’s probably no God”? Why not openly declare: “There is no God!”? The second question would be: “How great are the odds?” Is there a 99% chance God does not exist, or is it only 52%? It might make a difference to many people, who would be willing to run with the greater percentage but a little reluctant to forfeit their future based on a slight edge.
But if we assume that God does not exist, then the second part of the statement is not logical; in fact, the opposite is true. Of course, what the sign implies is that no one needs to worry about a Day of Judgment in which God will reward people according to their works. Therefore, one can engage in whatever he wants (fornication, adultery, homosexuality, being lazy and irresponsible) without any fear of penalty. This possibility would be attractive to those who feel restricted by moral customs. Why not have a wife and a few lovers—or even two wives (if they would tolerate it)? And why not live off the government instead of working?
However, this philosophy only works within certain confines. It does not serve well with some of life’s harsh realities. For example, the Orlando Sentinel reported that a 14-year-old girl was kidnapped and violated before she was rescued. But what about those who are not so fortunate and are forced into a life of prostitution? Should they stop worrying and enjoy life?
Elizabeth Smart was not so lucky. Kidnapped from her home at the age of 14, she was abused as much as three or four times a day before being found nine months later. Is it possible that she has no fears of anything this evil happening to her again? Not worrying only works if other people have a fairly decent level of morality. But if they do not believe in God and think they are smart enough to get away with their crimes, the rest of us ought to worry.
What about people who are murdered, who never receive justice or vindication in this world? About one-third of all murder cases in the Orlando area are never solved. If the same exists throughout the country, can we all quit worrying because God does not exist? The message on the bus only works in a perfect world—if everyone else is practicing, “Love your neighbor,” but, whoops! we would need for people to believe in God and the Bible to make that work, wouldn’t we?
How many scams are being operated at any one time to separate people from their money? We read of psychic frauds, Enron scandals, Ponzi schemes, insider trading, identity theft, and numerous other ways to rob people—not to mention home invasion. In light of all these threats, we are not to worry?
And while we are relaxing and not believing in God, what about those who believe in Allah? Should we not worry about those who may use airplanes to destroy two New York city landmarks? Should we just go out and run a marathon without fear that someone might detonate a bomb near the Finish Line? Yes, we ought to quit being worrisome and just take in the latest Batman movie at the mall. Going to school is probably safe, isn’t it—just as much as going to work on a military base?
Sure, we should all just assume that God does not exist and that we are part of a universe that really cares about what happens to us, although molecules are not known for their benevolence and good will. The removal of God and the teachings of Jesus make all of these true situations possible. If God does not exist, we should all worry—exceedingly.
The premise of atheism also means that, when the body dies, a person’s existence is gone. The child that is forever nine because a stray bullet killed him has no more life to live. How depressing is it to think that anyone could extinguish our lives, leaving us without one more hour of time! Killers and robbers get to have whatever they can get by with, and they have incentive to do whatever they wish—if this life is all there is and there is no retribution.
Christians
As the Apostle Paul wrote: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable” (1 Cor. 15:19). Why? The reason is not that we have given up earthly riches and fame, although if God does not exist, we did forfeit our only chance to have something valuable. (Of course, the Christian realizes that the spiritual benefits we have in Jesus are the true riches and that all earthly wealth eventually perishes.)
No, we are to be pitied because we had the greatest hope man ever was promised, but it was all a hoax if Jesus was not resurrected from the dead (and therefore God does not exist). We would receive no reward, which we eagerly anticipate. We would receive no vindication, which is a key concept in Revelation. Christians were tortured and killed because of their faith. Yet it was all an illusion without God to set things right.
But Jesus is raised from the dead! Peter proclaimed it on the Day of Pentecost after a miracle gathered the crowd together. And he showed them that what had occurred with the death, burial, and resurrection was a matter of fulfilled prophecy. Living faithfully and morally does entitle one to a reward, which shall be enjoyed forever. Guess what? There may not be signs posted in Heaven, but if there were, they might read.
God Does Exist and Reigns Here.
Now Stop Worrying and Enjoy Your Eternity.
Whether the sign is posted or not, everyone there will know the truth of the declaration. The devil will not be there; sin will not be there; death will not be there. In Heaven no mixture of good and evil will exist, as it does on the earth. Here we live in a place where we shall choose our future dwelling place. Do we like the kingdom of God, or do we prefer the ways of Satan? Now is the time to decide. Shall it be Heaven where purity, righteousness, holiness, love, and kindness abound—or Hell, which is full of selfishness and corruption? Hmm. Is this a hard choice?
Life on earth cannot be, contrary to British buses, free from worry—unless we have become children of God through our faith and obedience (repentance and baptism, as preached by Peter on Pentecost in Acts 2: 37-41). Then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s (Rom. 14:8). If we lose all of our earthly possessions, they were merely things anyway. Only Christians have peace (John 14:27) because we know that whatever horrible things might happen to us here, we have an eternal home that the ungodly have no share in.
Jesus taught that we should not worry about earthly needs. God knows about them and will take care of His own (Ps. 37:25). Even if we are persecuted for righteousness sake or put to death, evil men cannot separate us from the love of God (Matt. 10:27; Rom. 8:31-39). In fact, many Christians in the first century (and afterward) did lose their lives, but in so doing they won the crown of victory! Christians do not worry because God exists.