Remember when Jesse Ventura, the wrestler turned actor turned governor turned theologian once said "Christianity is for weak people." He compared people's faith to a crutch that helps hold someone up. I didn't give his comments too much thought. After all he is entitled to his opinion no matter how ignorant. But I wonder if Mr. Ventura's own reasoning would also apply that Atheism is for immoral people? In other words atheism is a permission slip. Remember when you missed school you had to get a permission slip excusing you for your absence? Or maybe you recall needing a hall pass to go the restroom. You were not to be out of class without a hall pass. But if you had the pass you could roam around campus.
Well I think that is what Atheism boils down to for many people. If you are an atheist and you get offended reading this then I am certainly talking to you. For many people religion represents a set of rules, mores (customs,etc.) that makes some uncomfortable. There are the expectations of churches, members, pastors, etc. and some don't feel like they can live up to that standard. The Christian faith is not about a religion, or an adherence to a set of rules. Christianity is about a relationship with the Savior, Jesus Christ. Granted some Christians have put a "heavy yoke" with rules, expectations and standards on fellow believers. But Jesus said himself, "Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." I am going on a hunch here, I have not researched any studies and don't know of available accurate meaures, but I believe many Atheists don't want to believe in God so that they can have a permission slip/hall pass to live life like they want to. After all, guilt is hard to live with. When a Christian stumbles the Holy Spirit brings about conviction for the purpose of repentance. People don't like feeling convicted. That is why some will not like this article. So they have decided it is easier to believe there is no God, therefore no reason for guilt over not adhering to some "religious" standard. If Christianity is for weak people who need a crutch, then Atheism is for sinners who need a permission form.
I would challenge truly open-minded atheists (there claim to be free thinkers stops at the willingness to read Christian writings, etc.) to take what is called Pascal's Wager. Pascal's Wager (or Pascal's Gambit) is a suggestion posed by a French philosopher that even though the existence of God cannot be determined through reason, a person should wager as though God exists, because so living has everything to gain, and nothing to lose. In other words if you put your faith in Christ and try to live a Christian life and you die and there is no God what have you lost? Nothing. But if you refuse to be a Christian and you die and find out God does exist you have lost out on Heaven. Is that a risk you are willing to take? Put down your permission form and ask Jesus to save you from your sins and He will. Once He is a part of your life He will equip you and enable you for the journey. Yes there will be temptations and yes there will be struggles. But He will never leave you or forsake you. And remember you are not saved by following rules or performing a spiritual act, i.e.: speaking in tongues, being baptized, circumcised, joining a church, etc. You are saved by GRACE through FAITH.
2 comments:
You are right in saying it is a pass to live immorally. Rejecting Creationism in favor of evolution is primarily a moral and spiritual decision. (2 Pet 3:3-5).
Professor D.M.S. Watson, a famous evolutionist, made the remarkable observation that evolution itself is a theory universally accepted, "not because it has been observed to occur or can be proved by logically coherent evidence to be true, but because the only alternative - special creation - is clearly incredible."
Sir Arthur Keith a British evolutionist amazingly said the same thing, Evolution is unproved and unprovable. We believe it becasue the only alternative is special creation which is unthinkable."
Sir Julian Huxley, one of the world's leading evolutionists, head of UNESCO, descendent of Thomas Huxley, Darwin's bulldog - said on a talk show, "I suppose the reason we leaped at the Origin of the Species was becasue the idea of God interfered with our sexual mores."
God has revealed to you this correctly.
I tend to agree with Pascal in that living like there is a God, we have everything to gain. Yet living like there is no God we have everything to lose. Where I tend to disagree is that his statement indicates that God existence can't be proven by reason. I have not read his full statement, but I will, but I believe God's existence can be proven, and has been proven by reason.
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