September 2010
ElPasoFishNet
By Randy Limbird
Growing up in the Cold War era, I always associated atheism with Communists because it seemed like they were always described as “godless.” By the time I got to college, atheism was a bit more accepted, at least in the academic circles, but it was still associated with far-left thinking.
In recent years, atheism has become less marginalized. Atheist intellectuals such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have published best-selling books and particularly in the case of Hitchens, have embraced conservative politics as well. One atheist, S.E. Cupp, recently came out with a book criticizing the “liberal media” for its attacks on Christianity.
From the typical Christian perspective, however, atheists simply were lost souls in need of conversion. The immediate response to atheism is to quote Psalm 14 (or its twin, Psalm 53), which opens with “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”
The problem with programmed responses to something that is contrary to our own beliefs is that they do not allow for understanding. The psalmist saw denial of God simply as a tool used by those who sought license to do whatever they wanted. Yet in our time, there is no shortage of people who embrace religious belief and do what they want, and there are plenty of atheists who live by a stricter code than the average churchgoer.
Here a couple of my observations regarding why people might opt for atheism:
• The best form of one belief system will always seem more attractive than the worst form of another.
Many people are raised in a toxic religious environment, contaminated by fundamentalism, legalism, superstition, conformity and meaningless ritual. If they are exposed to another world-view that seems free of such poisons, they will run to it. If all I had to choose between was a thoughtful, ethical atheism and an irrational, immoral version of Christianity, of course I would choose atheism. A garden salad may be healthier in principle than a cheeseburger, but I will always choose a fresh cheeseburger off the grill over a wilted salad buzzing with flies.
• We judge belief systems by the actions of their professed followers. While in theory a certain belief system may be true on its own merits, despite the folly of its followers, in practice we look for truth made real by those who profess it.
Altruistic atheists trump suicide-bombing Muslims. Peace-making Muslims trump war-mongering Christians. Christians helping the poor trump pagans playing the stock market. Pagans taking care the sick trump Jews beating their children. Jews teaching the illiterate trump atheists running sweatshops.
In other words, bad theology and bad practice make a perfect breeding ground for atheism.
Instead of simply dismissing atheism, Christians ought to listen and learn what drives a person to disbelief.
“Tell me about the God you don’t believe in. I probably don’t believe in that God either” is an often recommended way to respond to an atheist. To that we might add, “Tell me about the Christian behavior you can’t stand. I probably can’t stand it either.”
That doesn’t mean we have to join the atheists in dumping on all things Christian. But listening first almost always works better than talking first. (See James 1:19: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.)
M. Scott Peck, who became a Christian after he wrote his famous book “The Road Less Traveled,” wrote a follow-up book that described certain stages of faith. Skepticism, even atheism, often were healthy responses to an earlier stage of rigid belief, and may indeed lead to a more mature faith that can incorporate mystery and doubt. Peck also noted that fundamentalism of any kind, whether religious or secular, can stymie spiritual growth.
Randy Limbird is editor of
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