{"id":36,"date":"2014-04-06T01:33:47","date_gmt":"2014-04-06T01:33:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bermiedizon.com\/?p=36"},"modified":"2014-04-08T05:17:27","modified_gmt":"2014-04-08T05:17:27","slug":"does-god-love-atheists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bermiedizon.com\/does-god-love-atheists\/","title":{"rendered":"Does God Love Atheists?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"keene-atheism-definition\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I have noticed in the last few years, the rising influence of various writers and scientists who strongly proclaim the idea that there is no God.<\/p>\n

These atheists not only express their personal doubts about God\u2019s existence, but they campaign with almost evangelical fervor against the very idea of God and religion. With this notion of making God a fable, they proclaim that it is futile to search for some meaning out there. For them, it is a waste of time to look for some great Being who cares. They teach that we are on our own. When we die, we die with no hope for something more.
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\nI know of friends who were once devout in their Christian faith but have now become confused and disillusioned. I know of a pastor friend of mine who have become a radical atheist and now using social media to mock and make fun of Christian beliefs. He is quick to quote the highly educated atheists. I noticed that many people are not able to dismiss their arguments even though these points of view have been defeated long ago. It is difficult to logically refute arguments that are unfamiliar to many. Many Christians see this move towards atheism as a threat. We who believe in God feel we must somehow win this argument, and prove that God does exist, otherwise the atheists will have won the argument.<\/p>\n

But emphatically, I say, \u201cNo! they haven\u2019t.\u201d You see, although I have absolutely no doubt about God\u2019s existence, I have also learned that it is impossible to prove it to someone who is very determined not to believe. There is ample evidence in the world and the whole cosmos to show the existence of a Creator. As the Psalms say, \u201cThe heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands\u201d (Psalm 19:1). And Paul wrote to the church at Rome, \u201cGod\u2019s invisible qualities\u2014his eternal power and divine nature\u2014have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made\u201d (Romans 1:20).<\/p>\n

These scriptures are often used to prove God\u2019s existence, but that is not what they are saying. The wonders of creation provide impressive evidence for those who believe, but they do not give knockdown proof for those who do not. A determined atheist can always find a hole in an argument, or a loose brick in the proof. Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest thinkers of church history, put it well when he wrote, \u201cTo one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The problem is that we cannot prove God\u2019s existence from within naturalism\u2014the philosophy held by those who assume that only nature exists. There is no amount of evidence that can be taken from nature and used as proof for the God of the Bible. This is because God is not physically a part of nature, he is transcendent of its origin. We can only \u201cprove\u201d one aspect of nature on the basis of some other aspect of nature. So by studying nature, one can only yield further knowledge of nature. But, as the theologians of the early church put it: \u201cOnly God knows God, and only God reveals God.\u201d At best, nature can give us indirect evidences that confirm the existence of God, but the ultimate reason Christians have faith in God is Jesus Christ himself. Jesus is the Reason, or as the Gospel of John puts it, The Logos or the Word.<\/p>\n

But, just because we cannot give clear material proof that God exists, it does not mean the atheist has won the argument. We don\u2019t need to be on the defensive. What we need is to turn the argument around. It is not our job to prove God exists \u2013 it is the atheist\u2019s task to prove he does not.<\/p>\n

From what I have read and heard, atheists may cite some scientific discovery, the weakness of religious arguments, or the hypocrisy of some religious behavior to prop up their point. But, this should not divert attention away from the central fact they have to prove. They must still prove that God does not exist. And just as it is not possible to prove God exists through naturalism, you cannot prove God does not exist through naturalism. The study of nature can only negate claims about nature.<\/p>\n

For this reason, many honest atheists eventually admit that they are actually agnostic. Even the well known atheist, Richard Dawkins, in his recent public conversation with the Archbishop Rowan Williams acknowledged that he could not say with 100% certainty that God does not exist \u2013 he stops short at 99%. If they are really honest, they cannot dismiss the evidence that the physical, materialistic world is not all there is. They may not come to the point where they accept and surrender their lives to their Creator, but they are no longer sure he does not exist. They simply don\u2019t know! They are agnostic, or \u201cwithout knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Never forget that the strongest proof of God\u2019s existence is first, Jesus Christ and, second, the example of those who have surrendered to God, and live their lives in partnership with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.<\/strong> Let us do that and let God take care of the atheists in his own good time. He will\u2014because, believe it or not, God cares for the atheists, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have noticed in the last few years, the rising influence of various writers and scientists who strongly proclaim the idea that there is no God. These atheists not only express their personal doubts about God\u2019s existence, but they campaign with almost evangelical fervor against the very idea of God and religion. With this notion […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bermiedizon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bermiedizon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bermiedizon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bermiedizon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bermiedizon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bermiedizon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bermiedizon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bermiedizon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bermiedizon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bermiedizon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}