"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
Hebrews 11:1
Lately, I have received several blog hits from atheists. The latest is from a young man in Belgium who states he is a "proud and confident atheist," and a member of "Atheist Nexus" which calls itself "A Community of Nontheists" (sic).
Webster defines an atheist, in the simplest of terms, as "a person who believes there is no God." The atheist believes he has "reasoned" with himself, or as one blog writer posted on the "Atheist Nexus" website, "I did it with my mind...a true story," giving "luck" credence with his success in denying God any credit. He relates a story of traveling from Seattle to Arizona with friends, getting stuck overnight in a rice field in California, and crediting his brilliant mind and his own reasoning for getting out of their predicament. I found it odd that he would use such a benign and easily solved situation as an example. After all, God did gift us with common sense.
Another post by the same man speaks loudly of his failed attempt to define himself and the reason for his existence. The most profound example of this is that he is incapable of coming to any conclusion other than what he sees as his own reasoning and a randomness of events, as is obvious in what I see in this confused statement:
Another post by the same man speaks loudly of his failed attempt to define himself and the reason for his existence. The most profound example of this is that he is incapable of coming to any conclusion other than what he sees as his own reasoning and a randomness of events, as is obvious in what I see in this confused statement:
"But what is evidence? Is it tenaciously consistent and constantly recurring figments of my imagination? Is the outside just a projection of an elaborate story I am telling myself? This, I can never be sure of. There is simply no way to know."
Interestingly, he concludes his post by borrowing a term reserved for those who do hold to faith in a Sovereign and Holy God: hope. It is the solution he is looking for, but he is unable to see and grasp it.
"I believe that, no matter what is actually happening, I am, on balance, more filled with wonder than doubt; driven more by curiosity than ideology; inspired more by mystery than faith; more grounded in poetry than reality; have more respect for compassion than power; and hold nothing more sacred than the profound hope that, when I cease to be, the universe will remain."
He attempts to place his hope on a continuance of the things he is able to see, to touch, to smell, and to hear. If he can not experience anything with his senses then, in his mind, it does not exist. However, my question to him would be, "What difference would it make to you for, by your belief system, you will no longer continue to exist? You have accomplished what you sought out for your life, and the 'universe' you created for yourself is not imperative or necessary to the 'universe' others create for themselves. The nothingness you hold dear would simply cease to exist after your death. Therefore, it should not matter to you."
Furthermore, I would advise him to drop his ill-defined term of "hope" from his vocabulary. It holds no meaning for an atheist, other than a hope for more nothingness.
There are key words within the above statement that define what this man is actually searching for:
"no matter what is actually happening...", "...doubt...", "...curiosity...", "...mystery..."
They all reveal a confused mind, a troubled heart, and an unwillingness to allow the Holy Spirit to lead him to God's eternal Truth. He is unable to discern "what is actually happening" because he wants to believe in himself and his desire to gain everything he can now before his meaningless life ends and he disappears into the darkness of nothingness. But, to me, it also reveals that God is continuing to work with him in ways that are only known to Him.
The tragedy of this man's statements speaks volumes regarding those who adhere to the atheist's manifesto that God's existence is a mere tale woven by men who are either frightened into a belief system, void of any importance in their lives, or are power hungry and bent on subjecting men to myths to control them. And their manifesto places them squarely where they do not want to be and what they are attempting to shun: a belief system that can legitimately be called a "religion."
The atheist, however far removed he wants to be from "religion", builds upon this system a doctrine of unbelief. Within the definition of "atheist", Webster stresses that the term "unbeliever" implies "a more negative term". As an unbeliever, the atheist has established tenets, rituals, and a theology of "self", thereby creating a form, albeit a subverted one, of organized "faith" in nothing.
Atheists fellowship and commune with each other, as is evident in the above-mentioned website. They encourage and edify each other with what they see as their "truths". In other words, they unknowingly gather to worship a false god, preach its lies, and attempt to "evangelize" the world into their system of unbelief. The problem, however, is that they have not been able to reason an end to their miserable lives here and what they can expect as eternity comes crashing down upon them. The fear with which they are so willing to accuse Christians of being subjected to is nothing compared to what they themselves will face when they meet their Creator.
Atheists fellowship and commune with each other, as is evident in the above-mentioned website. They encourage and edify each other with what they see as their "truths". In other words, they unknowingly gather to worship a false god, preach its lies, and attempt to "evangelize" the world into their system of unbelief. The problem, however, is that they have not been able to reason an end to their miserable lives here and what they can expect as eternity comes crashing down upon them. The fear with which they are so willing to accuse Christians of being subjected to is nothing compared to what they themselves will face when they meet their Creator.
If the visitor I mentioned at the beginning is what he claims to be, why is he searching the Christian blogs, and what is it he is looking for?
I do not believe in the coincidence or randomness of creation that atheists adhere to. Granted, my visitor confesses on his own blog that he will willingly discuss his religion with anyone who is foolish enough to take him up on his offer. But there should be a clear warning to a Christian in this offer. After all, you would not be debating with him, but with Satan. His pride and arrogance are part of his theology. Sadly, he could just be looking for more victims, like the unwitting and deceived 15-year old he responds to in one of his posts. But I have a different theory, mainly because he did not leave a comment on my blog, inviting me (or challenging me) to a debate on theology, the reliability of God's Word, and the dangerous foolishness of his belief system.
What this man thought was mere coincidence could possibly have been engineered by the God in which he refuses to believe. Perhaps he unknowingly yielded to God's gentle prodding and stumbled upon this blog in what he thought was a random search. Or, the blog could have been recommended by someone attempting to witness to him. I will never know the answer. What, if anything, he read is not known, either. But what I hope for is that somewhere within my articles, stories and rambling is a tidbit, a word or phrase that was meant for him to see and ponder, and that a seed of faith was sown upon his heart.
If this is true, then I pray Paul's words in Hebrews 11:1 will encourage his "curiosity", unveil God's "mystery", and remove any "doubt" from his unbelieving heart. When that happens, then the answer to "what is actually happening" will be made known to him.
