Brian Haines Index
Christian Atheism
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Atheism and Its Legacy
What is an Atheist?
Atheism is the belief that there is no God. It is similar to the idea of
agnosticism, which is the uncertainty of God’s existence. At the most,
about 10% of people in the world claim to be atheists. From a historical
standpoint, we know that the impact of atheism in society has been
overwhelmingly negative. Atheism is at the heart of the ideas of men
such as Charles Darwin or Karl Marx. Consider this quote from Geoffrey
Taylor, a well known atheistic entomologist. "Darwin's Origin of Species
and Marx's Das Capital...heralded the two great secular faiths of modern
times--Evolutionism and Communism."
The devastation of atheism can be measured in the 20th
century by the impact of ideologies such as communism or fascism.
Combined, these ideologies (originated by atheist philosophers like
Nietzche or Marx, and propagated by atheistic leaders like Hitler,
Stalin or Mao, resulted in the loss of 75,000,000 lives.
Functional Atheism
We Reject Atheism as Foolish. We consider the Psalmist’s words in Psalm
14:1 “the fool has said in his heart, "There is no God””. But did you
notice that this “fool” says it in his heart, not with his mouth? Can
you see that there is a subtle suggestion, that this “fool” likely
profess something else with his mouth , such as “there is a God”. With
this thought, can we see that many “Christians” are Atheists?
Functional Atheism is the idea (or belief) that ultimate responsibility
for everything rests with us. It is the person who thinks they believe
in God, but practice a lifestyle devoid of belief. We can ourselves fall
into this.
We are a Christian Atheist when we believe all things depend on us, such
as in our lives (Matthew 6:31-32) or in the Lord’s church (I Corinthians
3:7-9). If He promised to provide for our needs, then why would we think
that such care is in our hands only? Answer – we do not really believe
in Him.
We are a Christian Atheist when our actions show that we do not consider
that there is a judgment (Matthew 12:36 , Romans 2:6). If we live
however we wish, some part of uus does not believe that we will be
judged by our actions.
We are a Christian Atheist when we have no fear of God (Hebrews 10:26-27
). God is to be feared by those
who love and know Him. To think that we should not, is to be unbelievers
in our heart.
We are a Christian Atheist when we believe God thinks like us; consider
this statement by “professed Christian” Bill O’Reilly, April 25 of this
year: “Non-Christians who seek God
with a sincere heart, which
would be Gandhi….can be saved…”If we
say things such as “God won’t send good people to hell” or “God likes
instrumental music” or “God is not concerned with how we worship”. If we
think that God “just happens” to think like we do, deep down in our
heart, we really don’t believe in Him.
So we see Christian Atheism is quite popular among the religious world,
and even among our own brethren. It is manifested when men take actions
that demonstrate that they have no real consideration for God. This is
the fool of whom the psalmist spoke.
Rejecting Christian Atheism
If we desire to reject Christian Atheism, we must take the step
of placing God in charge as spoken of by Paul in II Corinthians 12. Paul
had to learn that we must have confidence in God and the promises He has
made, and learn to trust those things
Secondly, we must learn the Fear of God. We cannot believe that
God is not to be feared, but must understand that Scripture repeatedly
testifies that those who know God fear Him. (Philippians 2:12)
Third, if we really believe in God, we will seek to find the Mind of
God. This is to say, that we will be diligent to look for God in the
places that He can be found. (2 Timothy 2:15)
The End of Belief and Unbelief
The Word God has given us is clear what the end of those who
disbelief will be: “But the
cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake
which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death”.
Revelation 21:8
The End of Belief is quite different: “Receiving
the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:9)