Does the Resurrection Of Christ Stand Under the Laws of Evidence?

ATHEISM IS A COPOUT!

By Harry Adkins 

The Bible and Biblical Christianity have come under attack from many different directions throughout history But no attacks have been so harsh, and seemingly hateful as that which has come from those who claim to be atheists  now, in the beginning of the 21st century. Atheists often deride theism(Biblical Christianity in particular) as the great boogeyman of human civilization, and specially in Modern Western Civilization do we hear this cry from those who attempt to criminalize the idea of an absolute moral standard and the thought of moral purity. Biblical Christianity is presented by atheists as oppressive and without regard for the natural rights and freedoms of mankind, and that “to throw off its shackles is the way of wisdom.” (Wade)

What is atheism? Atheists seem to be  willing to explain what it is NOT, but seem very evasive when it comes to telling us what atheism IS. Many so called atheists define it as “a lack of belief.“ I’ve seen this definition repeated here at ‘Unbelievable‘ more than anything else I‘ve seen repeated in all of the comments I‘ve read here, so far. 

But if THAT is the definition of ’atheism,’ why have a whole newsgroup dedicated to discussing a lack of something? Why an embarrassingly vocal organization called (in effect) American “Lack-of-something’s?” 

Why is that? It doesn‘t make any sense to me.

Could it be that atheists don't really know what atheism is? 

That’s not likely. Quite often atheists can come across sounding laughably unreasonable and illogical, but not THAT unreasonable and illogical. More often than not, atheists tend to act more like they know what it is, but don't want to discuss it….. 

Could it be that like me, atheists Know that ATHEISM IS A MORAL COP OUT - a means of abdicating responsibility - and their harsh criticism of Biblical Morality and it’s adherents is just a smoke screen sent up to conceal their own fear of the Truth? 

Before we go any further, let’s define the terms “atheist” and “atheism,” so there is no confusion over what I mean when I use these terms. Since no atheist has ever given me a straight forward answer, I’m accepting the given definitions below:

***Strong’s Concordance

atheos: godless, ungodly

Short Definition: godless

Definition: without god, without (the only true) God, godless.

***NAS Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible 

Word Origin: from alpha (as a neg. prefix) and theos

Definition: godless, ungodly

***THAYER'S GREEK LEXICON

Atheos: without God, knowing and worshipping no God

**Merriam-Webster OnLine 

atheist: one who believes that there is no deity 

atheism:

1 archaic : UNGODLINESS, WICKEDNESS

2 a : a disbelief in the existence of deity; b : the doctrine that there is no deity 

**Cambridge Dictionary of American English 

atheist: someone who believes that God does not exist 

atheism: the belief that God does not exist

**Oxford English Dictionary 2nd Ed. 1989 

Atheist:

1. One who denies or disbelieves the existence of a God.

2. One who practically denies the existence of a God by disregard of moral obligation to Him; a godless man.

**The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. 2000. 

atheist: One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods. 

atheism:

1a. Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods; b. The doctrine that there is no God or gods.

2. Godlessness; immorality.

** 1913 Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

atheist:

1. One who disbelieves or denies the existence of a God, or supreme intelligent Being.

2. A godless person.

atheism:

1. The disbelief or denial of the existence of a God, or supreme intelligent Being.

2. Godlessness. 

**MSN Encarta Dictionary 

atheist: somebody who does not believe in God or deities

atheism: disbelief in the existence of God or deities

So then, in light of these legitimate definitions, in a nutshell, when I use the term “Atheist(s),” I am referring to a person(s) who is “Godless;” who does not believe in, and denies the existence of God,  or deities; and by “Atheism,” I mean a doctrine of godlessness and immorality with full disregard of any moral obligation to a deity.

I believe that atheism is really nothing more than the revelation of fallen mankind’s own attempt at sovereign freedom by way an arrogant self-centeredness inherent in human nature and that is marred by sin and revealed by way of the out workings of blatantly unrestrained moral corruption.

Of course, it is EVERY sinner's desire to enjoy sin with reckless abandon. But there is a deep, nagging inner awareness of “right and wrong” within every one of us that we refer to as “Conscience.“ Now, assuming that it has not been “seared as with an iron“ and completely desensitized, conscience does something that we humans don’t like at all! It accuses us; it tells us when we have done something wrong! (Romans 2:14). It produces an inner “Conviction,” silently screaming within the most personal depths of our consciousness, declaring that we are guilty of a crime - even when no one else is aware of the offense! This inner awareness is greatly intensified when it is realized within the arena of  belief in a God. This is specially so when that God is recognized as the Sovereign Creator and Judge over all of His creation. 

Sin can only can be indulged with abandon and enjoyed - without discomfort in moments of inner self reflection - by removing the awareness of God from one’s conscious thoughts and system of personal beliefs. I firmly believe atheism is nothing short of man’s simple attempt at quieting the conscience of morally corrupt humanity's guilt. 

The Bible has much to say about those who would remove that awareness of God from the minds of men, as well as those men who buy into the denial of His existence.

“In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” ~ Psalm 10:4 ~

In his letter to the Christians in Rome, Paul reveals this denial to be a negation(i.e., a negative statement, judgment, or doctrine; especially a logical proposition formed by asserting the falsity of a given proposition), and an excuse for sinful indulgence, and properly calls these “atheists” wicked and godless “who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since WHAT MAY BE KNOWN ABOUT God IS PLAIN TO THEM, BECAUSE GOD MADE IT PLAIN TO THEM. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature - HAVE BEEN CLEARLY SEEN, BEING UNDERSTOOD FROM WHAT HAS BEEN MADE, SO THAT MEN ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE.” (Romans 1:18-20) 

Isn’t that interesting? Here we have Paul writing to Christians in the first century - not too long after Christ had been crucified and physically resurrected from the dead - making an argument against our modern societty's preferred system of beliefs about GOD(or lack of belief, however you want to phrase it), that many of the atheists I talk to, claim did not even exist until somewhere around 250 to 350 years ago(i.e., atheism)! So much for that… it did exist. And Paul informs them that God makes His eternal power and the nature of His deity “PLAIN TO THEM” through “WHAT HAS BEEN MADE(nature/life around them),” and asserts that for that reason exactly, “MEN ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE” for denying that He exists and can be known!

Paul continues to clarify this further in verses 21-23 & 25 accusing that “although They KNEW God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but THEIR THINKING BECAME FUTILE and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although CLAIMING TO BE WISE, THEY BECAME FOOLS and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles…..They EXCHANGED THE TRUTH about God FOR A LIE, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.”

“They exchanged the Truth about God  for a Lie,” and worshiped creation rather than their Creator… Well, that sounds an awful lot like “Naturalistic Science” to me. You know what I mean… the “scientific evidence” atheists are always touting as proof that not only does God Not exist, but that we evolved from nothing that is really something because given long enough something can come from nothing according to some otherwise intelligent nobody who was nowhere at the time he says it‘s so! 

Notice what we are told is the result of this willing denial of their Creator, as Paul continues in verses 28 and 29: “[J]ust as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.” And then notice how Paul emphasizes that darned “conscious awareness of God, right and wrong, "one last time in verses 30-32: “Although THEY KNOW God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”

So, in Paul’s summation, inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, Men who Know that God exists, but refuse to acknowledge and submit to Him, and they also know that what they are indulging without restraint is deserving of death - both physical and spiritual - but they do it anyway, and worse, they approve of others who follow and do the same. 

  

However, so long as some semblance of God is retained in one's knowledge there is restraint. The awareness of God's sovereignty and justice provides very strong  restraints against our bent toward being selfish, greedy, unfair, unjust, uncaring and cruel.

That general revelation via creation, and that personal “fingerprint” of God's law in the human consciousness, work together to impress the mind of mankind with the inescapable understanding that there is a GOD, and He made sure that we know He is there:“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; …God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us.” (Acts 17:26-28)

So then, what does the Bible say about  atheism? That it is NOT the natural “default” position of the human psyche, as atheists love so often to claim.  It says that mankind has an undeniable sense of God that is ever present in the consciousness of every human being - including the atheist!  Atheism is simply a mute button that the atheist pushes in an attempt to quiet the conscience so that he can go on with his life free of guilt over personal sin.

Robert Reymond says it best when he writes that "All of this means that there is no actual atheist. There are only theists, some of whom claim to be atheist. But God's Word declares that these atheists are not real atheists; they only attempt to live as though there is no God. But they know in their hearts that He is 'there' and that He will someday judge them for their sin. They are theists who hate God and that He exists, and attempt to do everything they can to suppress their innate theism. Their 'intellectual problems' with Christianity are in reality only masks or rationalizations to cover up their hatred of God and their love of, and bondage to sin . . . Thus their 'atheism' is their unproven 'grand assumption' - an assumption, by the way, with which they cannot consistently live!" (A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith: p. 143) 

In conclusion of the foregoing with regard to the question “What Is Atheism?” 

“Atheism is the option for the mental sloth who, in despair, refuses to think through the issues of truth-claims. It is also the option of the proud who thinks science is the new omniscience (all-knowing). But over-all this is the option of the selfish sinner who wants to make a free trip of his sinfulness without the cargo of conscience.

“Beyond the sophisticated arguments, Atheism is really, in the final analysis, dehumanizing. It is not what a self-respecting man is expected to opt for. It is not surprising that the Bible hardly takes space for addressing Atheism as a philosophical option. The New Testament has only one place that uses athios. Paul calls them as those 'with no hope and without God in the world' (Eph 2:12). The Old Testament Hebrew has no equivalent at all for Atheist. But in a memorable statement, the Psalmist tells us how to regard this: "The fool has said in his heart, 'there is no God'" (Psa 14:1; 53:1)!”

(Noel A. Espinosa, Chief Editor, Herald of Revival Magazine)