FAQ 127
God's View of Atheists
NCW 14, December 1994
Q. I have alot of atheist friends at school who say that Christians are fools for believing in an unscientific, superstitious belief in God. How should I respond?
I am glad that we do not have to judge atheists for God has already done it for us. Despite all their pretense of scientific intellectualism, those who deny the existence of a personal Creator God are, in God's judgment, nothing but fools:
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good" (Psalm 14:1, AV).
This, together with the 53rd psalm, Romans 3, and other passages, all describe the inner character of all such people -- whether they call themselves atheists or humanists or pantheists or New Agers or whatever. This repeated emphasis indicates how strongly God feels about those who dare to question His reality. It is bad enough to disobey His commandments and to spurn His love; it is utter folly to deny that He even exists!
The Bible describes the awful descent from true creationism into evolutionary pantheistic humanism: "When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools...who changed the truth of God unto a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator" (Rom.1:21-22,25, AV).
Certain atheists/humanists claim to be moral people, through their criteria of morality are often quite different from those of the Bible. No matter how admirable their humane acts of "righteousness" may seem, however, they are guilty of the sin of unbelief, the greatest sin of all. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is" (Heb.11:6, AV). With all the innumerable evidences of God's reality as seen in the creation and throughout history, and then especially in the person and work of Jesus Christ, it is utter foolishness to plunge blindly into eternity to meet the God whom they deny.
The only way to respond to a mocking unbeliever is to throw a mirror back at him and to show him patiently, kindly, yet firmly how foolish his position is. Show him, moreover, that the Christian faith is not a credulous blind leap into the dark, but a reasonable faith based on many infallible proofs or criteria of certainty (Acts 1:3). Under no circumstances allow yourself to be brow-beaten into thinking that you are foolish -- you are not! Introduce your friends to some of the many excellent Church publications and films that address this subject, pray for them, and radiate Christian grace in your behaviour.
This page was created on 24 April 1998
Last updated on 24 April 1998
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