A Few Thoughts on Atheism and Morality

The other day in class, we had an Indian professor guest-teach for us who has done work with Ravi Zacharias, and it showed, because he was awesome. After speaking with him after his lecture, I began to think again about how Atheism can work in respect to the way an Atheist views morality. It seems like if you are an atheist there are only a few options: 1) You believe that there are certain things that govern what is right and what is wrong that goes further than simply the furtherance of the evolutionary process, but you assume that this moral sense comes from somewhere other than Yahweh and His law, 2) You believe that the evolutionary process (survival of the fittest, natural selection) provides a sufficient standard for a "bare-minimum" morality, or 3) You do not believe in morality at all (the most consistent Atheism). I want to quickly address these three issues, because I feel that it is very important for Christians to be able to converse with Atheists in an understanding way, but also not to act like a postmodern and smugly placate the Atheist by a false sense of humility. While there must be love in the gospel, God's truth cannot be compromised, and that is a point that cannot be stressed strongly enough.

1) To deny the existence of God but to agree with a moral law is the most honest, yet illogical form of atheism in existence. To believe that murder, rape, and cannibalism etc. are reprehensible acts, but deny a God that would create a conscience that enables one to be able to discern those things has only a few options to explain where this sense comes from (and these explanations include but are not limited to): A) general morality was spawned at the birth of the first human in the evolutionary process, B) general morality is given by society, C) general morality is passed down through family, or D) general morality is discovered based on what is best for each individual. I say general, because specific morality will differ based on more individualized experience and influence. Now I understand that these views do differ in the scope of their application to real life situations, but one coverall way to deal with them is to ask at what point they qualify the actions of others as wrong. That point will be different for mostly everyone, but the majority of Atheists that hold to one of these views will often say that Hitler and the Nazi German society were wrong for participating in and approving the holocaust; however, such a condemnation is not warranted with the aforementioned views on morality because such a condemnation would either be imposing one view on someone else, or pure conjecture (no authoritative basis to make such a claim), which either hints at a transcending moral law that is more than personal conviction or societal teaching, or it dismisses the statement as meaningless from the beginning. If this Atheist wants to continue to deny the presence of a transcendent spiritual being that created humans with a conscience (Romans 1), they will most often move on to the next view of morality.

2) For one to say that morality and moral precepts only exist in the realm of continuing the evolutionary process, i.e. the furtherance of the human race, they either have a very poor understanding of what they are saying, or they understand it and still refuse to say something logical. The reason that this idea is inconsistent with reality is because if "survival of the fittest" and "natural selection" were the guiding principles of the world, then Hitler should be the poster boy of evolution manifested in society as he eradicated homosexuals, cripples, mentally handicapped, and anyone with a birth defect (along with Jews and Christians obviously) because he understood that anyone that could not help the human race would hurt it, and cleansing the gene pool would be the kindest thing to humanity anyone could do, and from this view of morality, these are only logical statements. Hitler's attempted extermination of those that make a practice of circumventing procreation seems to be a more atheistically logical action. Another reason that this very rudimentary understanding of morality does not work is that even to say that human race should be propagated is a moral statement, and thusly needs an authoritative source to affirm it as true. This is impossible, because no such authority exists, which again renders that assertion of what 'should' be as equal in value of an irrelevant opinion. Anyways, if one were to be logical in their processes yet still deny the existence of God, they would most probably move to the assenting of no morality at all, which leads me to my last point.

3) For someone to outright deny morality altogether, they may have been so extremely hardened that they absolutely refuse to see the truth, they have had very negative experiences in childhood, or very negative experiences with religion; and unfortunately, that religion is quite often some form of Christianity. There are a few things to keep in mind when talking with an Atheist that outright denies morality and says things like murder, perjury, theft, rape, and all other horrific evils are completely acceptable (interestingly, most sociopaths will also agree with these things as well). I have heard of "consistent atheists" making completely absurd statements like, "because I was at one point a part of my mother, she has the right to kill, cook, and eat me for dinner whenever she would like" (incidentally, this same person was very offended when my friend was curt with him in an online conversation during a chess game, funny, I know).  There is not a whole lot that can be said to these people because they are quite often so hardened that they will not be able to see life in terms of anything spiritually, but one of the most, if not only effective thing to say to this person is that they live differently than the things they may endorse. While one may claim that his mother has some human right to his left ventricle or lungs, will he actually climb into a cauldron and be willingly be boiled alive? Probably not. While another may claim that rape is only taboo because of some cultural pretense, that same person (most often) will not willingly subjugate his baby son or daughter to a gang of convicted murdering rapists, much like the priest in Judges 19. Many of these 'tough' Atheists will talk a big game, but when life actually happens, they really do act out of something more than simply self-preservation. They still do make value judgements, and may even participate in altruism, however illogical that may be. They will have to believe that Hitler's extermination of approximately 14Million men, women, and children is all simply a matter of preference. There are no moral implications because of the inconsistencies of positions #1 and #2. When talking to someone like this, again, there is not a whole lot to say to this kind of person except to try to point out the inconsistencies between philosophy and reality and pray that the Holy Spirit changes their heart.

In thinking through all of this, I am SO glad that God decided to make known to me the graciousness of His love before I am forced to bow my knee in submission to Him.

If anyone has something to add, please leave a comment and I would love to continue to talk with you about this very serious subject. If you have gotten this far, it is possible that you have read the whole post, so thank you :)

Deus Spes Nostra

Doesn't God Just Blow You Away?

"Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 136:1, ESV)
- 'Give thanks to Yahweh, for He answers the prayers of His children in His wonderful graciousness, for his steadfast love endures forever!' - (My adaptation of Psalm 136)

These last few days have been very difficult for me. I am fairly convinced that in my self-righteousness of denouncing certain sins, God has let the proverbial leash go a little bit in the allowance of sins that he lets me commit. I have found myself doing my daily tasks with almost a low-grade depression, almost wallowing in my sin and feeling sorry that I have not a stronger moral fiber.

Today, through the encouragement of a fellow classmate here at Bethlehem College and Seminary, I was encouraged to pray and meditate upon the prayer of Psalm 13: "Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death"(Psalm 13:3 ESV). My friend encouraged me, that when he struggled with the sins with which I have been struggling, he prayed and asked that God would open his eyes to see the heinousness of his sin, so that he would not continue in his it. After our conversation, we prayed, and we both again prayed the prayer of Psalm 13. A prayer asking God to even begin to reveal the true wickedness of sin can be very dangerous and painful. Even with this in mind, I still sought God's revelation (specifically asking for His mercy), because I want to be healed.

In His amazing providence, He ordered my steps in a way such that I would be listening to audio from 2 Kings while on work duty today. Chapter after chapter describes the perpetual faithlessness of Israel and Judah, but Yahweh is faithful to save them. King after king ignores the commandments of Yahweh and continues to build high places and Asherah poles. I began to see the repetition with which Yahweh punishes their wicked deeds, but again and again they are brought into exile, then God gloriously brings them back to their land. I began to become saddened at the repeated stubbornness and rebellion of Yahweh's chosen people; I saw that they would sin, be reprimanded, and harden themselves even harder, almost giving no heed to the past history of chastisement in the precedent set by their fathers.

However, after listening to 2 Kings 23, I felt as though a weight was lifted off of my shoulders. King Josiah finds the Book of the Law, and in response, he FINALLY destroys the Asherah poles, high places, the quarters for the male prostitues (that were in the temple of Yahweh!), and many other symbols of idolatry. I was so relieved that, even with a tremendous history of sin, Yahweh can still forgive His people! I saw this as an answer to my prayer of asking God to show me how bad my sin really is. While God did show me how despicable and deceitful sin is, in His grace, He impressed upon my heart the love He shows to great repentant kings of Yahweh, like King Josiah.

Through these next few days, I want to meditate on His grace and kindness and understand that while Yahweh ABHORS sin, He does have a steadfast love for those that fear Him, those whom He has chosen in love. While without His love it is impossible to love in return, I see that He gives little tokens of grace to His children in order to show us that even in dark places, He is still here, and will forgive with open arms. While consequences may still follow, I would rather spend one day in the house of Yahweh then 1,000 days anywhere else!

Insecurity: Everyone's Problem

I have been thinking lately about some of my problems. We all have them. Either we have them, or we are them; there is no escaping the pandemic of the problematic. I have also noticed that there is one common issue that also seems to plague everyone. While it would be difficult to find many people who  would admit to this, I am very sure that almost every person either has dealt or is dealing with the problem of insecurity.

Some people are easy targets for the "insecurity" label. The one that will do or say anything to receive approval from others is just as insecure as the person that is known as the "contrarian" and his or her life's purpose is to prove the world wrong. Both sides of the spectrum, while they externalize insecurity oppositely, are driven by the same motivation. Almost every interpersonal problem is fueled by insecurity, which is just a trendy word for the darkest, most prevalent sin since the begininning: pride. The yearning for either self-affirmation or affirmation that comes from the outside are both desires that are fulfilled outside the truth of Christ's sacrifice.

Whenever a pattern of extreme self-centeredness begins to rear its ugly head, it needs to be cut off while it is still young. This can be difficult, because these heads of pride and self-centeredness can, as we have already seen, manifest themselves oppositely. It is easy to acknowledge pride when one acts obnoxiously and abrasively, because they are acting in a way that exalts their own opinions and comfort over the interests of others. However, it is harder to see insecurity in someone who is known as "the nice guy" (or girl) because they may come across as a genuinely caring person; but deep down on the inside, there may be the longing for affirmation that he or she thinks will be satisfied by gaining the respect/adoration of other people. This attitude displays insecurity at its finest.

While this problem of pride and insecurity easily plagues everyone in some way, there is a glorious solution to the problem. Children of God have an identity placed on them that is grounded in the work that Christ accomplished on the cross. If we sense the feelings of insecurity and dissatisfaction concerning the gospel begin to surface, we must meditate on what Christ effectively accomplished for His own on the cross. It is incredibly rewarding to meditate upon the reality that we have been chosen before the foundation of the world as vessels of mercy, vessels to whom God is revealing the riches of His grace. Furthermore, this reality is even more special as we consider the alternative: by no merit of our own, God saved us from having our identity be one that is one and the same with vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. Outside of that truth, neither insults or praise should affect us significantly at all.

I have found that as I personally work through this struggle of desiring affirmation from others to reassert my own proud opinion of myself, I realize that the only true solution to that constant yearning is the understanding of the gospel. This is yet another situation in which I need to preach the gospel to myself every day. The more that I understand how incapable I am of doing anything good (John 15:5), and the more that Christ's work on Calvary becomes a known and effective reality in my life, the less I feel like defending myself or embarking on a scavenger hunt for compliments. The freedom of complete (and I mean complete) satisfaction and stability in understanding what God calls us is unspeakable. The glorious solidity of a secure relationship with God affects every other aspect of our lives, not just our relationships with Him or with others. While I still constantly deal with this issue pride/insecurity, I feel very confident that God has at least shown me the general path of pursuit and given me the foundational experience of know what He wants for me, namely the complete satisfaction in His ultimate glorification, expressed in my deep seated, all-encompassing joy. For that, I am incredibly and inexpressibly grateful.