God gave us free will. That is the entire point about Adam and Eve's failing in the Garden and people's failings throughout the Bible. For without free will, there cannot be love of others, let alone love of God. And what is Hell (not used as a curse word) but God allowing us to choose to live eternally devoid of His presence?
I have been down a path at least somewhat similar to what your wife has partially traveled. Have gone from Catholic to Protestant to deist to some very strange places to atheist and finally back to God as a Christian who believes in Him, His Son, and the Word (albeit imperfectly so and nominally in a Catholic form).
Pray for her. It really does matter. Be patient. The bigger issue is her soul. Stick with it. I pray she will come around. But it must be her choice.
It's fairly apparent you already know that, but I thought it might help to hear (read) it from someone else.
Everyone lives by a moral code. By itself that’s not anything to brag about, as everyone does. Everyone also tends to believe they are better than they actually are, relatively speaking.
If you’re not trying to live a moral code based on objective standards set by God, you only have to live up to whatever standards you decide are right. Of course some people have higher standards than others, but in the end if there’s no reason outside of yourself to act in certain ways, however you’re living is based on what you want to do or not do, and your own internal rationalizations (sound or not).
Can she be a ‘good’ mom? Yes. Can she be a ‘good’ person? As far as society is concerned, yes. Can she be a ‘good’ person in God’s eyes? On her own, no. She can be a moral person (all people are, their codes vary), she may even have high moral and ethical standards, but that will not save her. None of our good deeds save us.
God will judge her however in perfect fairness and justice, as He will everyone.
People who profess any religion, or none, can be good conservatives in principle, although there are some interesting subtleties to be considered.
In one sense, atheism, in its unsentimental rejection of that which lacks empirical evidence, and its embrace of the reality of nature, is a good template for the rejection of much of fuzzy-headed bleeding-heart liberalism which is (it should be acknowledged) a secularization of a particular strain of 19th/20th century Christian charitable impulse.
In another sense, though, atheism, at least its more evangelical forms, is hard to square with good Burkeanism — a good Burkean is loathe to tear down institutions (such as churches) which have been bulwarks of stability and inculcation of socially-useful values and practices for many generations.
We have some flaky, flamboyant atheists here that are merely interested in economics, but we have at least a couple of atheists that seem truly, and thoroughly conservative, that are quiet about it and that don’t seem very interested in mentioning it, the only way you learn it, is when it comes up in a dispassionate way.
It's like asking if a Bhuddist can be a conservative...
I went down a similar path as your wife. When people would tell me this in the past, “Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior” ... I just thought they were a little on the crazy side, old fashion, but well meaning people. I thought I was so smart and they were just desperate or looking for a meaning in life.
I can tell you now with 100% certainty that God exist. Keep in mind I was where your wife was from about 1981 until 2005. I went to college and lived the wild life, etc.. Oh and btw, I have even a better life now. I still have a lot of fun and enjoy reading and talking to God.
At any rate I hope this helps you out.
I would also add that it is one thing to ‘get tired of’ organized religion. It is another thing to not believe in God anymore. Make certain which one it is. If it is the former, encourage her to reconnect with God through the Bible at her own pace, read a little bit each day.
The way you describe her upbringing makes me think the ‘religious’ aspect of things turned her off, not necessarily God Himself. If that’s the case there might be some hope for her.
Franklin believed very much in God but was no Christian, he was frequently derisive of Christianity, and though he had some mellower things to say about Jesus late in his life, he never accepted Jesus' divinity, and found Christianity "unintelligible."
"The experience of the United States is a happy disproof of the error so long rooted in the unenlightened minds of well-meaning Christians, as well as in the corrupt hearts of persecuting usurpers, that without a legal incorporation of religious and civil polity, neither could be supported. A mutual independence is found most friendly to practical Religion, to social harmony, and to political prosperity. [James Madison, Letter to F.L. Schaeffer, Dec 3, 1821]"
"The civil Government, though bereft of everything like an associated hierarchy, possesses the requisite stability, and performs its functions with complete success, whilst the number, the industry, and the morality of the priesthood, and the devotion of the people, have been manifestly increased by the total separation of the church from the State." James Madison, 1819.
Even those founders who were men of faith believed in the separation of church and state. It is a lie that the phrase "separation of church and state" was not part of their common discourse." It was. It is true that for many conservatives, conservatism has a religious basis, but, it is neither necessary nor sufficient to produce sound conservative principles, reasoning, or outcomes.
There are lots of us like your wife.
My husband, an atheist, is conservative and pro life. As far as love of country, he and I both love it as our founders envisioned it. The progressives have destroyed any resemblance of the original.
I think you can be politically conservative and an atheist.
I don’t think we need to do anything special to court atheists.
Conservatism makes sense. Liberalism doesn’t. An intellectually honest atheist would be conservative.
Yes. Morality is not derived exclusively from a belief in god. Wisdom is a great source of morals. Confucianism for example, is quite compatible with conservatism, and it is not based on a belief in god.
I think the opposite is more true, that is, a strong fundamentalist religious believer is less likely to make a good freedom loving conservative, since often they view other religions as anti god and look to suppress them.
While conservatism reflects the golden rule and the principles of the Ten Commandments, it isn’t necessary for someone to be a Christian to borrow those principles. A Christian can be a conservative, should be, in my opinion, but conservatism isn’t Christianity. Christianity, the Kingdom of Heaven, has influenced America, and a lot of people have benefited from that influence, Christians and non Christians alike. I’ve read a number of comments by agnostics and atheists over the years who recognize the positive influence of those Christian values. All that is required to be a conservative is good sense and good principles.
Of course. Just because you don’t believe in G-d does not mean He does not believe in you. You can still be quite the conservative even if you aren’t sure just Who granted us these freedoms.
A conservative understands what our founding documents say and mean... and believes in it.
If our freedom is a gift from God, how can an atheist share this understanding with conservatism?
Conservative in what regards I might ask?... what a vague term it is... “conservative”... do we know what it means?... how many different definitions will we get if we ask for it?
I don’t think there’s any question what an atheist is.
Can an atheist and conservative share principles? well of course they can. But only one will know WHY they work.
If they vote conservative, I’m happy. I don’t care how they arrive at the idea.
'It matters nary to me if my neighbor believes in one God, a hundred Gods, or no God'
In other words, tend to your own business.
What I’ve noticed is that most of the atheists hang out on crevo threads. They consider themselves conservative because they have thought through many issues and arrived at some very rational political positions. But when push comes to shove, they shove good conservatives under the bus when they can. Atheism combined with scientism is their religion.
Yes.
But he should be watched.
I have been an atheist ever since I learned, at a young age, just what a bullying, abusive, money grubbing, sham most organized religious organizations are.
Once old enough to think for myself I did my own study of comparative religions.
All of them simply shake out as fairy tales or odious attempts at intimidation to me.
I have been told that I am “To the right of Genghis Kahn”.
Since the people saying it are also very conservative, I take it as a compliment.
Many of my fellow conservatives are also devout, none have ever tried to expel me for my disbelief.
Being a constitutional originalist does not require religion, just lots of patience.