Posted on 05/13/2007 4:22:19 AM PDT by Kaslin
Paul (not the lead singer of the Beatles, but the apostle Paul) states that God has made Himself known, via creation, to all men. According to the apostle, God’s revealed Himself not just to Christians and to Jews, but to every one everywhere (see Romans 1:18-21).
This means that from Jo-Jo the Brazilian monkey boy, to the Cameroon pygmies, to the whiny lesbian agnostic smoking clove cigarettes at Starbucks, to the beer swillin’ dillweeds (What’s up, dudes? I’ll see after I pen this column! Keep ‘em cold.), to the brooding British atheists, all people know God exists—even if they can’t really put a finger on some of the finer points of His person.
Yes, through what has been made, God has plastered on the souls of earth’s citizenry the general revelation that He’s present. In addition, they also know when they’re being a jack ass and when they’re being cool (more on that next week).
I know the above 411 hurts the atheists to hear, seeing that they’ve staked so much of their imago on God’s non-existence. But c’mon, you know there’s Someone “out there,” so cut the crap, shave your goatee and find some other way to pick up chicks—okay, James Dean?
Look, if Paul’s right and people know that they know Him (even if it’s in some dull sense of the word), why do some trip over themselves and tie their brains in knots in order to curb this knowledge? Why do people go nuts looking for loopholes and supposed contradictions in the scripture, hypocrisies within the church and some shared semblance to an ape in order to convince themselves that God’s not here, there or anywhere and never has been nor ever will be?
Is it because . . .
They are Johnny Quest truth seekers looking to answer man’s $64,000 question?
They are evolutionary luminaries uncommonly endowed with more smarts than us poor cattle and are here to help us club foot our way up the Darwinian ladder and away from such primal fairy tales? Or is it simply because . . .
The existence of God, His standards and a day of personal accountability really, really, jacks with their efforts at autonomy and their chances of getting laid tonight?
The apostle Paul states it’s the latter.
Atheists, according to Santo Pablo, have suppressed the truth because God really cramps their style. It’s hard to persistently indulge the appetites of the flesh if there is a holy God to whom you must give account. The truth is that all men, who have not bowed their knee to God and His way, hate Him and are intrinsically geared against God. (I know that’s tight, but it’s right)
Jesus put it forcefully up fallen humanity’s tailpipe when He exposed why men reject the knowledge of God when He said, “Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. For everyone who does evils hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (Jn. 3.19-20).
This is easy math, folks: A man who has no remorse and thus no desire to repent from his sins is probably not going to be a big advocate for the existence, person and work of God.
You know that all the various no-God arguments—which, to be sure, are fun to debate and write about and blah, blah, blah—actually stem from the root of the atheist’s refusal to curtsy to what he already internally knows is true. It is this denial and refusal to embrace the general knowledge of God given through creation that officially pisseth off the Lord thy God and puts the atheist in a precarious position. My advice to my atheist buddies is this: you’d better pray to God that you’re right and that He doesn’t exist—because if you’re wrong, eternity is going to be rough.
To be continued . . .
Doug Giles is the creator and host of The Clash radio shows, winners of seven Silver Microphone Awards and two Communicator Awards in the last three years, and a contributing columnist on Townhall.com.
"I know the above 411 hurts the atheists to hear, seeing that they’ve staked so much of their imago on God’s non-existence. But c’mon, you know there’s Someone “out there,” so cut the crap, shave your goatee and find some other way to pick up chicks—okay, James Dean?
No, they wern’t plants, they were two of the guests who were debating Kirk and Ray.
“There are plenty of calm atheists.”
Do you have many friends who are also atheists? Are most of them “calm”? Are you?
Do atheists have moral values? If so, what do you base you moral values on?
At what point in your life did you become an atheist and how did you come to this belief?
We you raised in a Christian home?
If it’s none of my business just say so and I won’t pester you with anymore questions. I find this subject fascinating and would really like to understand the mindset of atheists and how they determine their moral values since their values aren’t based on Christian morals.
BTTT
“imposing the acceptance of no behavioral standards”
Wow. That’s as tortured as your logic. Well done.
This is a common myth.
[...]If your morals are at your whim, I don't want you leading anything in my America [...]
By repeatedly using the term "pernicious arrogance," you imply that a person's lack of belief is based on a concious choice... that is, a "whim." If a person may adopt or reject religion on a "whim," then if one's moral framework is based on his religion, then likewise his morals are "at his whim."
I believe that Christian values are a great foundation for morality, but that doesn't mean that I believe in the Christian view of the universe. And yet, I don't think that my belief system is based on "arrogance."
"Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise," and who wouldn't want the wonderful comfort of believing he is embraced by a loving God who has a wonderful afterlife prepared? If I could believe that, why wouldn't I? ...but I can't.
Well, the flood was pretty amazing. He didn't make everyone on earth disintegrate into ash in a flash of light (he could have-- he's God, after all). Drowning is a hell of a way to go. You have total awareness of what is about to happen. You are overcome with panic and anxiety. You are totally helpless to stop yourself from dying in this fashion. God made sure that we had a natural anxiety toward deep water after we have been out of the womb for a year or so. What would have been better is if God would have slashed everyone's Achilles tendons so they couldn't swim at all. That would have been brilliant and right up his alley. What I wonder is what it sounds like to hear all those babies and children crying for help from their parents. That's got to be like going to the symphony for God-- just sitting back and listening with a big smile on his face.
However, you may want to first consider Isaiah 29:16.
Hillary says we shouldn't question her, either. I think she's right, don't you?
It has been my experience over the last three decades that when someone honestly says ‘I don’t know’ and then asks God to show the way to faith, God rewards such honesty with what it is that is missing in the person’s life. It may appear at first a contradiction, but to say I don’t know with honesty is the first kernel of faith as a seed which can grow.
I’d be careful linking to that ‘common myth’ page.
From the same page —
Christian Theism in its most basic sense entails observations that would necessarily be made by everyone everywhere and at all times, and thus it is as easily disproven as the alien in the bathtub.
Regardless of what she thinks, she's not God.
Psalms 41:1...The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God...
I was responding to another poster (follow my post #)...
..who posted the Psalm...I posted the text.
Psalm 14:1
Animals in the wild display basic morality, ethics and compassion. They show empathy. They show love. They are communal. They punish members of the group who don't obey the "code." Behavior that supports sustainability of oneself and the group (as a support system-- the tight-rope walker loves the idea of a safety net and doesn't need a book to tell her so) is logical and rational. The Golden Rule isn't really a Christian idea at all.
I know. I was just saying that it's not a persuasive line of reasoning.
Actually, I'm praying hard that the Flying Spaghetti Monster doesn't exist. Can you imagine what kind of torments that thing could mete out?
I know a lot of people who profess to believe in God, and on the weekends they are the most hedonistic bunch around. I don’t think that is the full reason for atheists belief.
The idea is the same, though. God's like the Wizard of Oz. Religions are laid out with these logical fallacies and unprovable "facts." They are all the same. It's a template. Believing that there was a Creator because science hasn't advanced enough, yet, is not firm ground to stand on. We come down to believing in God because we throw up our hands and say, "Well, I don't know what else would explain how we got here." There are all sorts of possibilities, and even the ones that include God don't at all include the God that you worship every Sunday (unless you worship Nyx and thank her for hatching the golden egg or something). There could be a supernatural explanation for creation and you'd still be totally wrong about what you believe.
God has revealed Himself to us over and over again, it's all through the Bible.
Still, you are not alone in your doubt. John 20:24-29
The FSM is love. When we die, he wraps us in his noodly bosom and shows us to the beer volcanoes and the stripper factory. If we choose to not believe, we go to a very boring hell without beer and strippers. Oh, the wailing and gnashing of teeth at such an outcome!
You did not assert any facts in post 10. You gave a set of opinions.
If you want to discuss your reaction to my post, I’ll be glad to do so.
I will happily talk about God's love with anyone, anytime. Or is their another aspect of either of our responses you want to explore and develp?
... Even scared the snot out of the Israelis once... Exodus 20:18-19
Hehee...
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