Atheists Believe in God

Does intelligence beyond the universe exist? Any Atheist must claim "No," because the doctrine of Atheism denies the existence of the Supernatural. The word "Atheist" comes from the Greek words "a" meaning no, and "theist" which comes from the word "Theo" meaning God (Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia, "Atheism"). Atheism disbelieves in the Supernatural side of nature, denying the existence of any fort of gods, angels, demons, and souls. God constantly supports life by His omnipotence. If God ceased to desire life to exist, all trace of life would vanish, and the universe would be gone. To claim that there is no God is to deny that life is meaningful and to ultimately deny the very existence of man.

Disputes have arisen on the Bible, the source of Christianity and Judaism, which is dismissed by Atheism, because the Bible is based upon the existence of one God, who has laid great claims to being the only God. Atheism states that the Bible can be considered little more than a fairy tale if God does not exist. Blatantly denying that the Bible teaches anything relevant to life is being more closed-minded than many people choose to admit. On the other hand, simply accepting the Bible as truth seems too simple for many people. Admittedly, there is no exact way to prove that every word of the Bible is truth, because no one except God was present when all the events recorded in the Bible took place. However, the Bible's truth is backed with at least as much archeological evidence as a history textbook. Why do people doubt the actuality of the events in the Bible, but never question the existence of such historical characters as Julius Caesar?

Well, any middle school child knows that Caesar's existence has been chronicled by many famous historians such as Pliny the Younger and Josephus. Scientists agree that these accounts by several different men as well as archaeological facts prove that Julius Caesar did really exist. The Bible has also been proven to be archaeologically correct. Sir William Ramsay, an ardent Atheist and Archaeologist of Oxford University, set out to find archaeological evidence disproving the book of Acts in the Bible, written by a doctor and historian named Luke. Ramsay searched for 25 years, but instead of disproving Acts, Ramsay's discoveries helped lead him to acknowledge the existence of God and accept the Christian faith (Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ, Pg. 60-70). The Bible, unlike some recorded events in history, never contradicts itself. Whenever someone has sought evidence to disprove an event in the Bible, they have found concrete evidence in favor of the Bible. Since Atheists claims to seek the truth, why do they so adamantly deny the truth right in front of them?

Psalm 14:1 clearly acknowledges the presence of God, calling those who deny Him fools. This verse in Psalms shows that Atheism teaches falsely against the existence of God. In the New Testament, Jesus tells his disciples that only faith the size of a mustard seed is needed to believe the truth about God. This shows how simple Christianity is, for even nature proclaims God's existence, as the skies demonstrated in Psalm 19:1, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." When all of creation supports the fact that God exists, how much more faith would it take to believe Atheistic doctrine rather than the truths of Christianity?

St. Thomas Aquinas launched many arguments about the fact of God's existence. From searching the scriptures, Aquinas believed that cosmological evidence stood, proving the existence of God. From observing all life on earth, the conclusion that all physical life has a beginning and ending can be drawn, no matter how long the creature is alive. If everything physical and spiritual had a beginning and an ending, and if time has always been, not as we know it but time without beginning or ending, nothing would exist today, for there would have been nothing to create the universe we know now. Aquinas argues that a beginning of the world we know today could not have come about from nothing, because everything that has the potential to exist cannot come into existence by its own power, but needs some greater power to create it. God was the first mover of the universe. Before time as humans understand it began, there was nothing except God. He created the entire universe by merely speaking making something out of nothing. God reveals His infinite age in Revelations 1:8, "'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." One might question those who deny God's existence by asking about the wind: No one has ever seen the wind, though everyone has seen its effects on nature. No one has ever seen God, but we see the things He does. God supplies us with life and strength... without these we wouldn't even have the ability to eat a donut. Once a friend on mine questioned whether he needed the aid of God to help him lift a donut. I replied to him by saying that if God made life, did He not have power to take it away as well? Without God granting our brains life to send nervous signals to our muscles, and without God granting strength to our muscles, we cannot lift even a donut. The human body is like a complex machine with made up of millions of gears. If one gear ceases to function, the entire machine is affected. Even the littlest motion, such as our unconscious breathing, would be too difficult for us if God did not continue to sustain our lives moment by moment.

Everything in this universe is constantly changing. But as Aquinas noted, nothing can change on its own. Aquinas labeled the ability for an object to change by a power other than its own power, "potentiality." Potential energy needs an active force to produce a result (kinetic energy), in the same way the universe has the potential to be changed, but needs some greater force outside the universe to change an object or being's potentiality into actuality. The force outside the universe, according to Aquinas's belief must already be in a state of actuality before it can change anything. C.S. Lewis illustrated this point in his book, The Great Divorce. The Great Divorce describes a dream Lewis had of his bus ride to Heaven. As Lewis watches the earth disappear beneath him in his dream, the earth and everything on it seems to grow more transparent. Upon entering Heaven, Lewis finds that compared to the beings already residing there, he and his bus companions appear ghost-like. Things that to the human eyes appeared solid on Earth were actually transparent, though the human eye could not see the transparency of the Earth. One being Lewis talks to informs him that once all the beings Lewis sees were just as transparent as the new arrivals. Over time, as the beings grew in their knowledge of God, they became more solid. God was "solid" first. His solidity gave Him the power to make others solid as well. Let us say that solidness symbolizes actuality. God was real, and we humans have the potential to become real. Since we are not quite real yet, we need God who is real, to bring us into the state of actuality. God did not have a beginning, and He will not have an ending. The world we know is saturated in an imperfect view of time. Human beings can only understand time in the sense of beginning and ending. Humans cannot understand anything never beginning, but always being. We cannot understand a period before time as we know it existed, and we cannot understand that time will end. God existed before time, as humans understand it was created, because God always has been. Aquinas supported the idea that time and change is finite. If change was infinite, there could have been no first mover, no actuality, and consequently no second movers, since all things that come to be are the result of potentiality being made real by someone or thing that is already real, whom Christians call God.

One example Atheists use that seems very convincing to many people as proof again the existence of God is the problem of pain. People question Christians as to how we can say that God is a loving God if He allows pain. Some people think of god as being portrayed even in the Bible as having two different sides: in the Old Testament, God is seen as vengeful, while the New Testament portrays God as being more loving and forgiving. Before Christ came to Earth, people were required to pay for their sins with a sacrifice of an animal, because sin requires a death. God was separated from His people by their sin, until Christ came and paid the death penalty for all people, so that no sacrifices would ever have to be made again for the forgiveness of sins. After the price of death was paid, God was able to demonstrate His full love and mercy because death no longer stands between God and His people. The only choice remaining is to accept or deny God's sacrifice. Those who accept God's sacrifice still suffer pain, however. Pain is often a consequence of our actions, which result from the free will God has given us. No one would like to have their actions dictated to them, but people tend to blame God for the consequences that befall them because of their actions. I think that even though it hurts God to watch us go through a time of trial, He allows it to strengthen our character. No matter how much pain is endured in this lifetime, those who have put their trust in the unfailing love of God will always be ably to rely on His strength to deliver us, for we are promised in Isaiah 46:4, "Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." Rather than try and explain God's love, a love that wishes to set free rather than imprison, I saw an example of what God's love is not in a book I read by Nancy Springer called I am Morgan le Fay.

Morgan has fallen in love with her perfect knight, True Thomas. She believes she loves him enough to do everything she can for Thomas in his best interest. An old friend warns Morgan not to trust her heart, because her love will destroy Thomas. Morgan scoffs at the very idea of her harming the person she loves most. Morgan is too deceived by her love Thomas to realize that her love for him is selfish. She creates a dream world of magic to "protect" her True Thomas from an errant knight who seeks to kill them both. Thomas is happy with his lady until one day he tries to venture to the sea and finds some invisible wall blocking his path. Upon confronting Morgan, Thomas realizes that Morgan has created a place he cannot leave. Thomas throws himself at Morgan's feet and begs her to release him from her gilded cage. As hard as Morgan tries, she cannot find it within her heart to free Thomas. Morgan begins to weep realizing that the warning she was given has come true; her love has imprisoned Thomas. Thomas gently encourages Morgan, but despite all her magic, she cannot release him. Heartbroken, Morgan is surprised when, even after all she has done to him, and Thomas kisses her. Morgan loses all sense at the kiss in surprise, for Thomas loved and held her in such high honor, that he had never so much as kissed her hand before this. As he kisses her, Thomas gently slides her ring of power off her hand. All Morgan's magic collapses and she is thrown back into reality as the ground shakes from a horse pounding toward them. An enemy night rushes upon Thomas and Morgan with his sword drawn and malice in his eyes. Despite the pain she has caused him, Thomas still loves Morgan, and he throws himself in-between the knight and his love. Morgan watches in horror as the knight kills Thomas. The love she held for him was imperfect, to the point that it destroyed him in the end.

God's love for mankind is just the opposite of Morgan's love for Thomas. God's perfect love does not make us prisoners to Him. No matter how much we deny or displease Him, He will continue to love us. All the laws He has set in place do not harm, but help those who obey them. Those who disobey are offered ready forgiveness if they only ask for it. By following the Lord's Commands, we are promised true joy and eternal life. So who is man to complain against God? Everyone feels unjust treatment sometime in his or her life. Life will never be completely fair, but the injustice of the world allows God to demonstrate His holy mercy. If everyone were paid exactly as he was owed, everyone would receive a big fat check with one huge amount: death! God's mercy is offered to all, despite our imperfection, as told by the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."

Many Atheists have repeatedly dulled their consciences with thoughts such as, "Justice is relevant to each society," or "Morality is not the same for all mankind." In this manner, an Atheist can convince himself that God is unneeded, since justice was designed by men. C.S. Lewis pointed out that:

You might as well say the sheet music, which tells you at a given moment, to play one of the notes on the piano and not another, is itself one of the notes on the keyboard. The Moral Law tells us what tune we have to play: our instincts are merely the keys.

Fredrich Nietzsche, a strong Atheist and critic of Christianity, disbelieved in morality because of his "extra-moral" perspective. This perspective claims that people act in a certain way, not because of the person's intent, but because of their "deep character" (Douglas Groothuis, "Nietsche's Evaluation of Christian Ethics"). To some extent, I both agree and disagree with Nietzsche. Each person does indeed have a "deep-character," which the Bible calls "Nature." I disagree with Nietzsche that this nature is unchangeable. Every person begins life with the same nature, the sinful human nature. The Bible says in Romans 3:10, "There is no one righteous, not even one." This nature can be replaced, not by our own power, but by the power of God. When He takes away the old nature, He gives us a new nature, as Paul said in II Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old has gone, the new has come!" As to the rest of Nietzsche's statement, people do choose their own actions, but ultimately I believe Nietzsche was right when he said that people's actions were dictated by their "deep-character." The difference between my beliefs and Nietzsche's is that I believe that those who hold onto their old nature are still slaves to their sinful nature. The old nature only wants what is physically pleasing, not caring about the immortal soul. The nature Christ gives releases a person from the shackles of sin. People, because we are still imperfect, do still sin, but now it is their choice to sin rather than a compulsion of their nature. But this does not mean that those with the old nature cannot do good things. However, their good works will hold no eternal value, as John 15:5 says, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing."

I believe there is only one choice when it comes to the existence of God, though the world around me offers three choices. Atheists deny that God exists, Christians acknowledge Him, and Agnostics claim indecision. I believe that every human and all objects in creation know that God exists. However, since God has granted man a free will, people have two choices: to either deny or to acknowledge God's existence. Many people find the claim Jesus made in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me," to be very offensive and exclusive. Christians are often considered very arrogant for proclaiming that we know the only way to hold eternal life. If a Christian believed that in his own strength he could be saved, that that would be extremely arrogant. Often Christians are not clear about where our salvation and hope comes from. Aquinas warned Christians not to assume that the knowledge we hold from God is self-evident to anyone else, because it was not self-evident to us when we first heard of it. When any Christian says that he knows the only way to have eternal life, they are simply stating that God has shown His mercy to them. Christians don't hold the way to salvation; we are imperfect people just like the rest of the world. But we know God who gives salvation freely for the asking. Nothing we can do will save us, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is a gift from God; not by works so that no man can boast," (Ephesians 2:8&9). God's offer is not exclusive; it is free and open to anyone who will accept it. We cannot boast in anything except that God has power over all, for it was not in our own strength that we have been saved. It is God's love for all creation that gives life meaning, though Atheists believe that life is without meaning. Lewis wrote:

If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning; just as, if there were no light in the universe, and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know that it was dark. Dark would be a word without meaning.

(C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, "Rival Concepts of God," Pg. 39)

Jesus Christ requires the faith the size of a "mustard seed" to trust. Can Atheism, faced with all the evidence of God's existence, provide a withstanding argument to Christ's case? Despite all the mysteries and unexplained aspects of God, the universe itself proves His existence. As Nietzsche set up a straw man version of Christianity, many Atheists do not have a solid view of the omniscient God of the Bible. Modern day science discredits God from being the creator of the universe, though His handprints are on all life. Atheism claims to want to know the truth. If Atheists are willing to accept the truth, Christians must study to "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved a workman who does no need to be ashamed and who handles correctly the word of truth." (II Timothy 2:15).

Works Cited:

Groothuis, Douglas. "Nietzsche's Evaluation of Christian Ethics." 5 July 2003. 14 November 2003 http://www.gospelcom.net/ivpress/groothuis/nietzethics.htm>

Lewis, Clive Staples. Mere Christianity. New York: HarperCollins Publisher, 1952

Lewis, Clive Staples. The Great Divorce. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., 1946

Springer, Nancy. I am Morgan le Fay. New York: Philomel Books, 2001

Strobel, Lee. The Case for Christ. Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 2001

Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia. GNU Free License. 5 November 2003. 7 November 3003http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism/>