第8课：进一步考虑

到目前为止，在这个系列中，我们定义的无神论，看着圣经的数据，研究的历史和无神论的索赔，并建议基督徒回应无神论的断言。 我们还研究如何无神论用科学来支持其索赔，为什么无神论无法解释道德。 在本章中，我们会考虑有关辩论的最后的问题。

1. 无神论和暴政
   1. 的无神论者花多少时间和精力， 攻击 ，特别是一般和基督教的宗教压迫，腐败和暴力纪录。 他们大胆地断言，无神论将改善世界，摆脱暴力，战争，种族主义，压迫，滥用和腐败。 是否备份这种说法的证据？ 现在，无神论已经超过两个世纪的一个重要的世界观，我们应该能够评估无神论的成就，并看看会发生什么时，无神论成为文化的主导观点。
   2. 在二十世纪发生的事件证明 ，无神论的世界观更为暴力，压迫和破坏比以往任何宗教。 无神论者绝不会开展无神论的名称罪的共同的看法是不正确的。 简单化的信仰宗教的消除会导致结束暴力，社会紧张局势，或歧视是幼稚和假。 无神论作为一种人生哲学（或）死亡，真的是直接关系到所有的虐待方式。
      1. 如前所述，马克思著名的断言，宗教是“人民的鸦片”，保持工人阶级的无知和无力。 马克思之流是无神论的共产主义蓝图，负责在二十世纪席卷世界。 千百万被迫害或根据马克思主义的共产主义中丧生。 马克思主义是一个明确主张通过暴力手段消灭宗教的无神论思想。 历史经验表明，采取马克思主义的社会，通常是暴力，压迫和不宽容。
      2. 无神论是苏联官方意识形态的核心组成部分，中共摧毁的教堂和谋杀的神职人员成员和自称信徒无神论者政策执行。 大多数共产主义政权一直强烈的反宗教的，这表明他们的无神论是必不可少的 ，而不是仅仅是偶然的，他们的思想。 ²
      3. 列宁认为，消除宗教作为中央在苏联的社会主义革命，他提出，旨在通过消除宗教信仰有何措施“长期使用暴力。”列宁认为，宗教温顺的中下层，容易利用经济。 为了他的共产主义革命的发生，这样的人，都必​​须剥夺他们的宗教信仰。
      4. 苏联当局有系统地摧毁，消除了1918年至19​​41年期间的绝大多数教堂和牧师。 这是在追求一个无神论的议程， 消除宗教进行暴力和镇压。 约瑟夫·斯大林，1不正派，无情的“荒诞的地步暴君” ³曾经说，“你知道，他们是愚弄我们，那里是没有上帝......所有这关于上帝的谈话纯属无稽之谈。”斯大林的无神论，他的暴力的要素，压迫政权。
      5. 希特勒憎恨基督教和容忍弱化形式，在德国，只有这样他就可以使用它自己的目的。 希特勒的狂热是反宗教的，并认为基督教是一个祸害，一种疾病。 他想摧毁德国基督教。 他看到基督教的价值观，如平等和同情的弱点 。 希特勒的领导顾问，戈培尔，希姆莱，鲍曼是设法消除宗教的影响，在德国的无神论者。 希特勒是一个达尔文，尼采，他们俩提供了他的杀气计划的哲学辩护，他非常尊敬。

“我摆脱愚蠢和有辱人格的良知和道德的歪理邪说，德国...... 我们将培养年轻人，其中前世界都会为之颤抖。 我希望年轻人能够暴力专横，无情和残酷。“阿道夫·希特勒

1. 1. 6. 什么是结果，当人们感到自由地摆脱传统的宗教禁令，制裁，害怕神的审判的债券？ 二战大屠杀是一个很好的例子。 那些跑在奥斯威辛的毒气室和其他死亡集中营摆脱自己的传统宗教的限制，为了追求他们的“最后解决方案。”
      7. 中国领导人毛泽东（谢彤）保持对宗教的敌视态度，这是落后和迷信。 毛泽东的铁腕统治下，宗教场所，包括寺庙，清真寺和教堂，被转换成非宗教建筑的长期使用。 毛泽东亲自为约50万人的死亡负责。
      8. 无神论作家通常试图归咎于这些著名的无神论者的滥用比无神论的其他因素。 他们声称，无神论的世界观是不负责这种不良行为，它是共产主义或马克思主义。 但无神论，是马克思主义的共产主义的一个核心要素。 这不是偶然或巧合，奠定了最恶劣形式的虐待内疚，在无神论者的脚。 无神论者是也许100万人民在二十世纪的死亡负有直接责任。 一直没有宗教无神论者已经为近尽可能多的混乱负责。 ⁴

尼采认为，与“上帝之死”的人现在把他们的信仰，在野蛮的目的是抢劫和剥削的非亲兄弟“的兄弟。”他预见到纳粹主义和其他残暴的群体崛起。 他还预测^，20世纪将是人类历史上最血腥的，因为西方文明已经失去了它的道德系泊。 他是正确的。

基督徒作家迪内希杜泽 ，“无神论的罪行，一般都通过[犯下的傲慢]思想的价值创造者的人，不是神，看到。 ...谁也不能否认，斯大林，毛泽东，更不用提波尔布特和别人的主机，所有犯下暴行明确无神论的共产主义意识形态的名称吗？ 谁可以提出异议，他们做了他们的血腥事迹，声称要建立一个“新好男人”和宗教的自由乌托邦？ 这些是与无神论作为自己的思想灵感的中央部分进行的大屠杀，他们没有做的人只是碰巧是无神论者的大屠杀.... 这是时间放弃盲目重复的口头禅，宗教信仰一直是人类的冲突和暴力的主要来源。 无神论，不是宗教，是历史上最严重的大屠杀负责。“

无神论其手中血流成河。 宗教必须承认自己的失败，但它是由无神论带来的痛苦无处附近负责。 无神论和相关的思想（马克思主义，达尔文主义）已促使数以百万计的谋杀。

2. 无神论和基督教的好处
   1. 无神论的主要要求之一是，特别是一般的宗教和基​​督教的伟大反人类罪罪名成立。 宗教一直是人类的疫病，越早消失越好。
   2. 无神论者通常会忽略所有的基督教已产生或影响的有益的东西。 例如： ⁷
      1. 基督教凝重普通的人。 希腊和罗马的理念，崇高的富裕，强大的，有影响力的。 相比之下，基督教教导一般人可以拥有丰富的，有意义的生活。 人的尊严和平等，这是结束奴隶制和促进代议制民主是一个基督教的想法⁸ 。 人类生命的神圣牢牢扎根在“圣经”。 妇女的尊严和价值，是“圣经”从许多社会价值的缺席。 基督教提高妇女地位，使他们道德与男子平等。 所以在西方社会最看重人权是植根于人类平等的基督教思想。
      2. 基督教有尊严的婚姻和家庭 。 许多社会淡化家庭。 柏拉图提出取消婚姻和建议，国家接管抚养子女。 同性恋是非常普遍，在希腊和罗马的社会，是恋童癖。 基督教高举异性恋一夫一妻的，忠诚的爱和关爱儿童和老人。 家庭生活是满意的生活和加强社会。 这些价值观基本上是基督教，而不是世俗。
      3. 基督教产生的“法治 ”。公正和统一的规则适用于所有的人的想法是植根于圣经。 “雷克斯雷克斯” - 法律是国王。 国王是不能凌驾于法律之上，他们也必须遵守它。
      4. 基督教提出的想法，一把尺子，是人民的公仆 。 领导服务的想法，他的人参加到他们的需求是一个基督徒。
      5. 基督教是负责的分离和政府内的权力制衡的概念。 有限公司，代表政府和政教分离是新台币想法。
      6. 基督教强调宗教自由 。 虽然一些信奉基督教组织都被迫服从，甚至转换（例如，农村信用社），新台币知道没有制约的信心。 容忍和良心自由是基督教思想。
      7. 基督教为资本主义的阶段。 圣经教导我们，男人是天生自私的和将做什么是自己的最佳利益。 客户将涌向企业，以满足他们的需要或想要。 市场竞争产生丰富。 给他想要的东西的顾客，是企业成功的关键。
      8. 基督教新教工作伦理产生了。 勤奋，合作，诚信，公平，这些都没有美国就不会成为一个世界强国的圣经“的想法。
      9. 基督教强调对弱者的人文关怀的社会已经变好了。 希腊人和罗马人往往变成一个痛苦视而不见，尤其是当那些遭受不明或无关。 基督教的要求，我们爱我们​​的邻居，即使是那些我们不知道，即使是那些对我们不利。 基督徒一直被称为他们的慈善机构的支持穷人，寡妇和孤儿，和病人的行为。 基督徒建立了第一医院，并建立了第一个援助组织（红十字会，中华基督教青年会）。
      10. 基督教影响了西方艺术的伟大作品。 米开朗基罗，达芬奇，伦勃朗，提香，亨德尔，莫扎特，巴赫，莎士比亚要么自称基督教或工作在一个基督教的世界观。

1这是事实，作为一种理想的共产主义不一定是无神论。 有些基督徒都主张共产主义的各种形式。 但是，马克思，列宁，斯大林，毛泽东，波尔布特，和其他倡导共产主义的形式显然是无神论。 无神论是其政治野心的必要方面。

2迪内希杜泽， 有什么关于基督教所以大吗？

3 http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572241_2____8/Communism.html＃S8。 马格瑞奇称为斯大林“在克里姆林宫的杀气格鲁吉亚的强盗。”撒迦利亚， 无神论的真正面目。

4臭名昭著的西班牙宗教裁判所（1476至1834年）是（虽然有更多的被逮捕和迫害，只有约1-2％的被捕者被打死）也许最多5000人的死亡负责。 1692年塞勒姆女巫审判发送到他们的死亡只有约20应该巫婆。 两者合计，所谓的基督徒（主要是农村信用社）在过去的500年的约20万人的死亡负责。 希特勒，斯大林和毛泽东结合所造成的死亡约1％的金额。 其他宗教，特别是伊斯兰教，有更多的死亡负责，但远不及与无神论的政权相关联的编号。

5麦格拉思， 无神论的黄昏 ，262报价。

6 关于基督教是什么如此之大？

这些想法很多人带来了D'Souza's书， 所以对基督教有什么大？

8尼采认为上帝面前平等的概念，作为一个“疯狂”的想法。 他发明的“超男”的概念，并鼓励强者压倒弱者。 希特勒用这种想法来证明自己的杀气计划。

第7课：无神论与道德

无神论的主要弱点之一是，它无法充分解释道德或为它提供了一个坚实的基础。 无神论者拒绝基督教道德但没有令人满意的替代品来取代它。 在解释道德的起源，他们的企图落空。 无神论者真的没什么可说的关于道德的，但他们声称的道德高于宗教的形式提供。

在这一课中，我们将研究关于道德说什么无神论，发现无神论的道德要求是多么薄弱。

1. 无神论已上升为人类道德的进化解释。

   1. 作为社会性的动物，人类，一直住在部落或社区团体，并在此背景下，各种行为规则演变。 演变配备偏向社会的神经系统，而不是反社会行为，人类。 男子了解到，合作更有利于比纯自私，自然与他人合作，提高您的生活。 社会习俗 （道德），自然进化而来的。这些习俗都受益的组和个人。 随着时间的推移，制定并通过这些共同规则的宗教。 但他们没有比单纯的人类发明。

   2. 无神论道德应该是一致的，什么是优胜劣汰的自然生存。 这是尼采的道德主张的类型：努力履行自己的欲望，肯定你的动物激情，坚强的意志强加给那些薄弱的。 任何目标，只要是可以接受的，作为一个追求能源，分辨率和电源。 从这个角度基督教的美德，如同情，怜悯，慷慨忍受恶心。 强者生存而弱者被消灭。 据理查德·道金斯，宇宙的特点是“盲目的，无情的冷漠。”无神论者的道德应该仿效。 在一个毫无意义的，不道德的宇宙，善恶没有任何意义。

2. 无神论道德植根于自我和社会 ，而不是神。

   1. 人类完全有能力决定什么是好还是坏，有益的或有害的咨询所谓的神，。 道德情况确定考虑的行为的奖励和缺点。 自我利益驱动的过程。 无论增加经历的乐趣是“好”的机会;“。坏”任何减少这种机会是道德是一个简单的战略之一员工为自己的长远利益。 必须重新连接到他的内心的声音，从而恢复他的基本的善良。 一个人的内心感受，设置标准“应该”。

   2. 它是对人类的奴役和贬低某种神的道德指令提交 。 人类的发展离不开咨询任何所谓的神的道德标准。 每个人都必须在与社会其他成员一起建立自己的道德标准。

   3. 超越个人的道德，生活在社会中的人类决定自己文化的道德标准， 社会规则和法律规范人的行为和这些标准反映了普遍持有的道德。 随着时代的变化，道德将发生改变。 我们不应该指望跨文化或时间的设置标准。

   4. 无神论者往往是体面的，友好的人民。 他们通常不完全否定道德。 无神论者看到道德，而不是作为一个神赋予的命令集，但作为一组人为个人或团体的经验，通过伪造的建议 。 无神论者反对的是不一般的道德，但绝对的，普遍的，客观的， 上帝赐予的道德。 道德的，他们说，是相对的，不是绝对的。 我们可以称之为“世俗”的道德或自行决定道德。

   5. 无神论者通常指向宗教的人都没有辜负甚至道德水平低的事实。 那些声称按照神是有罪所有违反道德的行为方式：奴役，强奸，谋杀，压迫，歧视，等等，这说明发生了什么，当人们认为神是他们的道德之源。 与上帝的认可 ，他们觉得做什么十恶不赦的事情，他们想（例如，与十字军东征的弊端，穆斯林恐怖主义，等等）。

   6. 无神论者似乎特别感兴趣否认基督教道德，当涉及到人类的亲密。 他们渴望摆脱所有限制和不可取的欲望，他们不希望任何道德顾忌他们的地位。 如果男人是动物，不可能有人与人之间的关系没有道德约束。 人必须自由地按照自己的本能 ，任何地方，可能导致。 许多人所吸引，因为他们赞同其性别，滥交，堕胎，杀婴，安乐死，同性恋，离婚，和喜欢的意见走向无神论。 人类生命的神圣是一个无神论者的错觉。

3. 基督教的回应：

   1. 像其他人一样，无神论者知道上帝的存在（罗1:19-20），有“写在他们心中的法律”，有良心的，这意味着他们有一个基本的正确辨别能力（罗2:15）是非，善恶。 无神论者“镇压”（罗1:18）这方面的知识，但他们仍然为它负责。 一个人的良心，可能是“玷污”（多1:15），或（提前4:2）“用烧红的铁烙”，并因此失效或不敏感。 那些一再违反自己的良心，可以沉默温柔的声音。 只有这样，才能问心无愧无神论者是否认神的存在。

   2. 内在自我或社会道德的适当基地无神论的假设是有缺陷的。 人性的内心深处深感罪孽深重，不能确定的“应然性”的任何行动。 人的心脏是“万物都诡诈，坏到极处”（耶17:9）。 即使是“好”的行为可能会出于自私（参见赛64:6）。 社会同样无法提供有效的道德准则。 一些社团，如古代亚述，罗马，最近，在德国纳粹政权，野蛮和残酷的。 因此，无论是自我，也不社会提供合适的决定道德的基地。

   3. 参与某些行为的自身利益，防止一些无神论者。 犯罪通常不付，所以它是实际意义上的行为方式，使自己的麻烦。 因此，道德降低到自我保护。 是道德的唯一原因是保留一个走出困境，使生活更轻松。

   4. 无神论道德责任纳入味道或情绪的变化随时改变 。 不可能有绝对的或超然的道德意识。 道德的基础是个人或团体的意见流沙。 道德始终是变量和不断发展的，从来没有固定或设置。 在无神论的世界观没有允许一个判断“好”或“邪恶”的任何特别的行为。

   5. 无神论者恨基督教道德的真正原因是，它抑制自己的行为，并标签为“有罪。”被吸引到许多无神论者否认任何神的存在的原因是为了避免不必回答他们缺乏道德约束，在未来的生活在这一个。 他们希望，以避免对自己的行为的问责制 。 上帝是不存在的想法，释放他们从传统的道德约束，并授予他们自由从事任何行为没有内疚。 这样，无神论是真正的“人民的鸦片”，它过关，以为自己的行为有没有持久的后果不信;百叶窗他们的现实情况，并允许他们住道德败坏，但内疚自由，生命。

   6. 基督教的道德，道德的最传统的形式一样，是基于书面代码“圣经”。 发现这段代码的最好的例子是在十诫，做什么和不做最有名的历史记录列表。 此代码是客观的，不依赖于人即使人服从它的感觉如何，它的真相。 上帝的道德准则和本身是真实的。

   7. 非常无神论者通常支持自由，人类尊严，男女平等，等等，实际上是无神论或其他宗教，基督教的传统道德价值观 。 非基督教民族和宗教不重视，甚至容忍这样的想法。 政治意识形态，无神论者享受，如代议制民主，是植根于基督教。 没有基督教，这些值将是罕见或不存在的。 那些拒绝基督教不应该要求作为自己的这些值。

尼采：当一个人放弃基督教信仰，从一个人的脚拉有权基督教道德。 这种道德是绝不言自明。 基督教是一个系统，整个事情的看法，一起想出来。 打破它的一个主要概念，对上帝的信仰，整个休息。 按理说，落在上帝的信仰。

8. 那些已采取行动的人，在基督的名，不道德的违背福音的消息和方法。 所有的人都倒下短的道德律。 人是有罪的。 我们必须超越缺陷的人类行为。 真正的信仰真理的评价取决于寻找在基督“的作者和我们的信仰装订”（希伯来书12:2）。 基督的追随者经常来他设定的模式。 相比之下，那些邪恶的无神论的幌子下，在这一理念的完美和谐 。 可以有一个无神论者没有道德限制。 即使是最邪恶的，腐败的，卑鄙的人并不矛盾无神论的原则。

9. 进化不提供一个令人满意的过程中如何道德在人类出现。 如果一个人是一种动物，为什么他独自一人有一个正确和错误的意识吗？ 如何进化可以解释道德，有没有遗传的好处？ 为什么几乎所有的人类文化认同的道德标准？ 无神论者通常断言，宇宙有没有目的，没有邪恶，没有好。 那么如何才能判断什么是邪恶还是不错的吗？ 无神论者有没有道德的逻辑基础，并提供其他比自身利 ​​益的道德选择， 确定没有办法。 对于那些说我们生活在一个不道德的宇宙不可能有道德。 既不是无神论，也不达尔文主义有任何纯粹无私的利他主义的解释，如当一个陌生人一个家伙的陌生人，他的生命风险。

10. 无神论者真的应该是决定论 。 如果宇宙的功能纯粹是按照自然规律，那么一切都受这些法律，无论发生什么事一定会发生。 每个人只不过是一个运行程序的物理材料的收集，就像一个活生生的计算机。 如果这是真的，那么这样的字眼应该没有任何意义。 唯物史观没有提供之间的一个选择和决定的方式，并没有确定任何情况下的道德的方式。 我们的赞美和指责，钦佩和蔑视，批准或者不予批准的整个词汇，可没有任何意义，如果是正确的无神论者。

11. 而无神论者可能声称他们是信教群众的道德一样，一个突出的无神论者的生活的评价表明，无神论往往导致不道德的 。 无神论者正如很多，其中的“烂苹果”，作为宗教的人做。 无神论作家如马克思，尼采，萨特促使他人从事令人发指的野蛮行为。 因为他们拒绝传统道德，他们往往从事通常被认为是不道德的行为。 另一方面，基督教，通常会导致较高的道德水平，为那些通过它。 事实上，不道德的高层次矛盾的一个基督教界。 不道德的高层次，共同为无神论者，因为他们没有绝对的道德标准。

12. 无神论是不是一个真正的对宗教索赔知识产权的反抗，这是一个对基督教道德标准， 道德的反抗。 无神论者，根本就不想为他们的邪恶行为感到内疚 。

“如果上帝是没有，一切都是允许的。”陀斯妥耶夫斯基， 卡拉马佐夫兄弟

杜泽：无神论者没有找到上帝无形的这么多为反感。 他们不调整自己的欲望的真理，而是真相，以满足他们的愿望。 ......这是无神论的常年呼吁：它得到消除长胡子的严正研究员，解放我们的罪恶和堕落的乐趣。 无神论者寻求摆脱摆脱法官的道德判断。

1弗兰克R. Zindler，没有神的“道德”探索心灵 ，1985年二月。 http://www.atheists.org/Atheism/ ethics.html

第6课：无神论和科学

无神论的最强的索赔之一，是科学已经消除了人们的需要，相信上帝。 如今，“科学保证结果”给我们一个自然的解释几乎所有的现象发生的一切，有一个自然的解释。 因此，没有“空白”为上帝留下来填补，据以无神论者。 “上帝死了”，因为他已不再需要。

本课程将探讨一些有关科学和基督徒如何回答此类索赔无神论索赔。

1. 从历史上看，科学和基督教一直保持着建设性的关系。

   1. 启蒙运动时代的许多伟大的科学家都自称基督徒，例如，伽利略，开普勒，哥白尼，波义耳，帕斯卡，牛顿，法拉第，孟德尔，培根，巴斯德，麦克斯韦，普朗克等良好的早期科学家也神职人员（例如，孟德尔是一个和尚）。 在科学的伟大的名字，许多人认为没有信仰与理性之间的矛盾 。

   2. 早在西方文明的科学家们试图了解宇宙，因为他们相信，有序上帝创造的，和人，因为他是神的形象，是能够理解的。 基督教为科学进步的阶段。 没有基督教的世界观，有没有特别的理由相信，宇宙是有意义的，人类有能力去了解它。

   3. 科学出现在西方，在一个基督教的文明，因为基督教强调理性的重要性。 在中世纪出现在基督教欧洲的大学制度，提供神学和科学的教学。 美国的第一个高校的许多基督教机构开始。 基督徒发明了现代科学。

2. 启蒙运动以来，自然科学版被视为人类的解放者从传统的宗教思想和结构，特别是在RCC的压迫。

   1. 赫胥黎：“达尔文主义占据了完整的和不可调和的对立走向最高的智力，道德和社会人类的天主教教会的生活，充满活力和一致的敌人的位置”

   2. Religion, and the Roman Catholic form of Christianity in particular, was seen as the opponent of learning and scientific advancement. Historically, the Church was the dominant voice in Western culture. After the Enlightenment, culture took a more secular turn, forcing religious ideas out of the public arena and into the realm of private affairs.

   3. Science, mathematics and other “hard” sciences were provable and their results certain. Religion lacks such certainty. One may be free to hold any religious ideas he wants, but he should not consider them to be “true” in the same sense that science is true.

   4. Science works better than religion. In the past, we might pray for someone's healing. Today, science has developed treatments that can actually save lives. Science offers liberation from bondage to a superstitious and oppressive past.

3. Atheism and scientific “proof”

   1. Atheists boldly assert that they require proof before they'll believe anything. Science is based on evidence and proof; faith is belief without proof. Atheists claim that “it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.” We are under an absolute obligation to believe only what may be rigorously demonstrated by the strictest criteria of truth. Belief must be warranted. (William Clifford)

   2. 然而，科学家们发现自己不得不相信他们知道的一些事情，稍后将被证明是错误的。 历史表明放弃以前的理论，更好的办法出现的格局。 历史也表明不愿相信新的理论。 例如，许多天文学家并不认为在宇宙大爆炸理论，它首次出版时，虽然现在几乎普遍为真今天举行。 受到广泛批评，直至通过实验证明爱因斯坦的相对论。 爱因斯坦本人并不相信，宇宙的膨胀，并提供了一​​个理论来反驳它，这竟然是错的。 ，直到20世纪60年代科学家们普遍认为“稳定状态”的宇宙理论。 另一个例子：geocentrism - heliocentrism。 因此，“证明”，常可导致相信不真实的东西。

   3. 自然科学提供了什么样的，他们认为是最好的东西可能的解释，但完全准备放弃或修改在附加信息的光。 It is simply not true that scientist believe theories because they have been “proved.” They believe them because they represent the best explanation of what may be observed. ²

   4. Ironically, atheism cannot prove the assertion that it is wrong to believe anything upon insufficient evidence. What proves that statement? It's a statement of opinion, not of fact. Further, atheism itself cannot withstand that level of proof; it cannot be demonstrated to be true. And atheism cannot prove that God does not exist. Agnostic writer Thomas “Darwin's bulldog” Huxley admitted that it is impossible to arrive at any degree of certainty when it comes to the existence or non-existence of God.

4. Atheism and Darwinism

Scientists usually maintain one of two viewpoints regarding religion: compatibility or incompatibility.

1. Some strongly assert that religion is simply incompatible with science. For them, real scientists must be atheists. Those scientists who retain any commitment to religious belief simply cannot mean it; they must be joking or perhaps are temporarily insane. Evolutionary theory leads inevitably to a godless, purposeless world. All life can be understood entirely in natural and material terms. Evolution demands atheism in this view.

   1. The natural sciences, and especially evolutionary biology, represent an “intellectual superhighway” to atheism. In the mind of some atheistic propagandists, science is the supreme champion of atheism. Evolution is the “engine” of atheism.

   2. Richard Dawkins has argued consistently and vigorously for an atheistic worldview through an appeal to the natural sciences, especially evolutionary biology. Science, Dawkins asserts, proves things; it establishes its theories with certainty. Religion, on the other hand, deliberately asserts falsehoods that mislead, seduce, and oppress people. Science is free of the main vice of religion, which is faith , belief without proof.

   3. Before Darwin, people thought that the evident design in nature pointed to a designer. Darwin asserted that the appearance of design can arise naturally through the pressures of chance and survival. Natural selection is the “blind watchmaker.” It provides atheists with an alternative explanation for how the complexities of nature arose.

Carl Sagan: As science advances, there seems to be less and less for God to do…. Whatever it is we cannot explain is attributed to God…. And then after a while, we explain it, and so that's no longer God's realm.”

4. 达尔文的进化论坚持认为，宇宙中有没有设计，没有目的，没有邪恶，没有好，没有什么，但盲目无情的冷漠。 达尔文主义，一切是偶然的。 达尔文摧毁基督教的信誉，许多无神论者。

5. 法国无神论者和哲学家雅克·莫诺提供以下功能：

变化产生机会和必要性传播。 这是绝对不可能的“目的”的发言，在生物世界。 进化论要求我们认识到，我们自身的存在是一个意外.... 自然科学版披露漫无目的的世界，我们必须创造我们自己的价值观和信仰。 大自然有没有提供指导......人知道最后他是独自一人在宇宙的绝情巨大，其中他只是偶然出现。 他的命运是行不通的拼写，也不是他的职责。

1. 那些反对创世记的基础上进化科学的保证结果是不能容忍的，落后，无知的傻瓜站在美国文化的主流之外。

2. 科学是唯一可靠的，我们具有认识世界的工具。 它有没有任何限制。 我们可能不知道现在有些事情，但我们会在未来。 这只是一个时间问题。 科学会解释一切。

3. 科学已否定神，破坏了对上帝的信仰。 无神论是严重的，渐进的，思想的人的唯一选择。 宗教信仰应退居到历史的垃圾堆。 科学和宗教不能共存。 如果是真实的，一定是假的。

1. 对于一些人，宗教与科学的兼容。 无神论者通常否认一个人可以是科学家和任何宗教的信徒，尤其不能在基督教。 然而，许多科学家都自称基督徒，许多持有其他宗教的看法。

   1. 一些科学家否认科学有什么要说的关于宗教。 例如， ³进化的最流行 ​​的倡导者之一，斯蒂芬·杰伊·古尔德，否认科学和宗教是矛盾的。 “科学根本就不是（通过合法手段）裁决的神的性质可能的监督问题。 我们既不肯定也不否认这一点，我们根本无法评论，因为科学家...... 一半我的同事们要么是极其愚蠢的，或者对达尔文主义的科学，是完全兼容传统的宗教信仰和同样兼容与无神论“科学与自然主义的解释工作;它可以既不肯定也不否认神的存在。

   2. According to a poll of scientists conducted in 1916 and repeated in 1996, about 40 % of scientists admit some form of personal religious belief. ⁴ Surprisingly, no significant reduction in religious belief among scientists has occurred in the twentieth century. Statistics contradict the idea that science and religion are incompatible, at least in the minds of many scientists.

   3. There is no consensus in the scientific community regarding the place of religion in the life of the scientist. Some Darwinians are theists and others are not. There is no valid means of settling the issue on scientific grounds. The theory of evolution does not necessarily lead to or require atheism. The suggestion that the Darwinian theory of evolution is necessarily atheistic goes way beyond the competency of the natural sciences and strays into territory where the scientific method cannot be applied.

   4. Why are so many scientists religious? Because the world can be interpreted in a number of different ways—atheist, deist, Christian, etc. Nature is open to many different interpretations, but it does not demand to be interpreted in any of these.

5. Christian responses to Darwinism

Christians have responded to the claims of Darwinian evolution in the same two ways that science responds to religion: compatibility or incompatibility.

1. Some Christians hold that Christianity can import the findings of evolution into the Christian system. Evolution, they suggest, is the means by which God guided his creation to its present state. They see no necessary contradiction between evolution and the Bible. Of course, this requires a major reinterpretation of large segments of the Scriptures. But some are willing to modify their doctrine to accommodate the “assured” findings of science.

   1. For example, distinguished American botanist Asa Gray (1810-88) believed it was perfectly possible to reconcile evolutionary theory with faith. Instead of seeing God as the creator of fixed species, Gray pictured God as the designing power behind evolutionary change. Even renowned biblical scholars like BB Warfield (Princeton Seminary) and JI Packer (Regent Seminary) seemed to accommodate evolutionary ideas into their theology. Many professing Christians hold this view and it is taught at many evangelical colleges and seminaries. It is the official position of the RCC and even many Protestant denominations.

   2. Some Christians hold that Darwinism has no bearing on the existence or nature of God. If Darwinians choose to pontificate on matters of religion, they stray beyond the straight and narrow way of the scientific method, and end up in the philosophical badlands. The natural sciences may lead some away from God and others to god. But to say that they must do one or the other is to move beyond the legitimate scope of the scientific method. ⁵

   3. The relationship between science and religion is a complicated one, but it is historically incorrect to say that science and faith are at war, in this view.

2. Some Christians hold that Christianity cannot import the findings of evolution into the Christian system. There exists a permanent, essential conflict between the natural sciences and religion. Science is at war with religion. Oddly enough, both conservative Christians and staunchly atheistic scientist hold this same opinion—science and religion are at war, both viewpoints cannot be correct, and one or the other must be proved to be wrong.

   1. The implications of Darwinian evolution sent shock waves throughout Christendom when Darwin first published his ideas. The assertion that humans evolved by natural selection from the animal world lay the axe at the very root of religious belief. Darwinian Theory represents a frontal attack on Christianity, and Christians must respond by disproving Darwinism. There is little doubt that the theory of evolution provided a massive thrust for ousting God from the paradigm of origin and existence. ⁶

   2. One of the first to defend traditional Christian teaching on origins was William Paley (1742-1805), who wrote several works defending the Genesis account. Paley's primary argument centered on intelligent design. ⁷ He's responsible for the famous “watch-maker” argument—nature was like a sophisticated mechanism, and such mechanisms require an intelligent designer and creator. Paley produced an immense array of observations, from the intricacy of the human eye to the arrangements of the seasons, which pointed to the entire biological world's having been planned by a benevolent deity. Each aspect of the natural world seems to have been designed for its specific purpose. More than that; they interlocked with one another, as if the entire assembly appeared to have been put together with a definite purpose in mind. ⁸

A recent argument along the same lines is called the Anthropic Principle. Scientists have observed that the fundamental constants of physics and chemistry are just right or fine-tuned to allow the universe and life at we know it to exist. The Anthropic Principle says that the seemingly arbitrary and unrelated constants in physics have one strange thing in common—these are precisely the values needed for human life. The universe gives the appearance that it was designed to support life on earth. ⁹ For example, if the force of gravity, the forces holding atoms together, or the ratios between electromagnetism and gravity were any different, human life would not have been possible. ¹⁰ The universe is specially and finely tuned for life because it is the creation of a Creator who wills that it should be so. Atheists, of course, have creative ways of denying the implications of the Anthropic Principle. ¹¹

3. Darwin himself initially found Paley's design arguments very persuasive, but he eventually rejected them. Paley argued that God had made everything in its present form, perfectly, without any evidence of change or development. Darwin's study of nature led him to a different understanding of how biological life developed and changed. It became clear to Darwin that the foundations of Paley's arguments for the existence of God had been shattered.

4. Darwin wavered between agnosticism and atheism. ¹² But it seems unlikely that his rejection of Christianity had much to do with his theory of natural selection. Rather, he had a visceral distaste for the “damnable doctrine” of the eternal punishment of unbelievers. Many in the Victorian era (mid-1800s) rejected Christianity for the same reason—they hated the “fire-and-brimstone” preaching popular among evangelicals at that time. Further, the tragic death of his daughter wrecked his belief in divine providence.

5. Other arguments brought by Christians seeking to defend the biblical account of creation: ¹³

   1. The cosmological argument considers the fact that every known thing in the universe has a cause . Therefore, it reasons, the universe itself must also have a cause, and the cause of such a great universe can only be God.

   2. The ontological argument begins with the idea of God, who is defined as a being “greater than which nothing can be imagined.” It then argues that the characteristic of existence must belong to such a being, since it is greater to exist than not to exist.? ？

   3. The moral argument begins from man's sense of right and wrong, and of the need for justice to be done, and argues that there must be a God who is the source of right and wrong and who will someday mete out justice to all people.

6. Atheistic responses to Christian claims

Atheists are well acquainted with Christian arguments against Darwinism, and they have responded to typical arguments Christians use to defend the Genesis account of creation and to counter Darwinism.

1. The teleological (design) argument: Responding to Paley's watch-maker argument, Dawkins asserts that the appearance of design can arise naturally within the evolutionary process. Natural selection is the blind watchmaker. Given enough time, even the most sophisticated systems will arise naturally. Further, there is no “watch” as creationists commonly think of nature. Instead, the species arose out of struggle for survival, with only those best adapted moving ahead. Nothing in nature is perfectly formed; everything shows evidence of imperfection, mistakes, and dead ends. Even things that seem to be irreducibly complex, like the human eye or flagella, developed slowly over vast amounts of time. Evolutionists totally disavow any idea of design or purpose in nature.

2. The cosmological argument: Atheists assert that if all things had a cause, then God Himself must have a cause. Of course, Christians deny this, believing that God is the great un-caused cause. Causation applies only to effects ; all effects must have a cause. God is not an effect and thus does not need a cause. Further, God's existence is not limited to this universe; God is spirit, not physical. Atheists typically maintain that matter is eternal, or that the singularity of the Big Bang arose spontaneously, out of nothing, simply popping into existence. Many scientists refuse to speculate as to where the singularity came from or why it came to be. It just did. In effect they must affirm exactly what the Bible teaches—creation ex nihilo .

It's worth noting that earlier atheists denied that the universe had a beginning. The “steady-state” approach posited that the universe was eternal, thus not needing a beginning. An eternal universe needs no creator. Scientists today universally acknowledge the Big Bang, and thus they must admit that the universe had a beginning. It is certainly an effect that calls for a cause, and that cannot be denied. If they deny it, they must affirm that at least one thing that had a beginning did not have a cause, which is absurd.

3. The ontological argument: Atheists typically dismiss this argument as irrational.

4. The moral argument: Atheists argue that morality is nothing more than a human invention that became necessary as tribes of humans came into close contact. Commonly agreed upon moral standards helped the species to survive. Atheists adopt their own forms of morality based on what they think will be most beneficial to them and to society. They deny the idea that morality depends upon the existence of God. They are just as moral, if not more so, than many professing Christians, in their opinion. (more on the weaknesses of atheistic morality in the next lesson)

Conclusion: We must acknowledge that both Christianity and atheism are systems of belief that require faith (Heb 11:6). Both atheism and Christian faith lie beyond absolute proof. Christians don't believe the claims of atheism, and atheists don't believe the claims of Christianity because neither is able to absolutely prove their case.

Everyone has the same facts with which to work. Christians approach the facts with a biblical worldview, and many scientists approach the facts with a secular, anti-biblical worldview. It is no wonder, then, that Christians and atheistic scientist reach different conclusions.

We must admit that science presents great challenges to those who believe the Bible. Atheists contend that science debunks the Bible, while Christians assert that the Bible discredits junk science. If the Bible is true, there should be no contradiction between it and any other source of truth. Atheists overstep when they allege that science and religion are incompatible. On the other hand, theists may write off science too quickly without considering how science and the Bible may be able to coordinate. In any case, where scientific pronouncements and the Bible truly contradict, we must maintain our loyalty to God and His Word. Scientific theories come and go, but God's Word is eternal, unchanging, and forever “settled in heaven” (Ps 119:89).

1 This is not to assert that such men were all orthodox, conservative believers. All professed Christianity, but some were quite eccentric in their beliefs (eg, Newton denied the Trinity). Nevertheless, they all espoused a Christian worldview.

2 McGrath, The Twilight of Atheism .

3 Gould described himself as an agnostic leaning toward atheism.

4 About 40% admit no belief, and about 20% are agnostic.

5 McGrath, The Twilight of Atheism.

6 Zacharias, The Real Face of Atheism .

7 The teleological (design) argument focuses on the evidence of harmony, order, and design in the universe, and argues that its design gives evidence of an intelligent purpose (the Greek word telos , means “end” or “goal” or “purpose”). Since the universe appears to be designed with a purpose, there must be an intelligent and purposeful God who created it to function this way. Grudem, Systematic Theology .

8 McGrath, The Twilight of Atheism .

9 http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/rossuk/c-anthro.htm.

10 One example: the value defining how firmly atomic nuclei bind together is .007. If this number were .006 or .008, humans could not exist. See Martin Rees' book Just Six Numbers for a fascinating discussion.

11 For example, some suggest that many universes may exist, and we just happen to inhabit one in which the laws of physics allowed mankind to evolve. Other universes may be different if they have a different set of laws.

12 There is no truth to the legend that Darwin recanted the theory of evolution on his death bed.

13 Grudem, Systematic Theology .

Lesson 5: Christian Responses to Atheism

In the last lesson, we looked at several common claims made by atheists.

In this lesson we'll evaluate some of these assertions.

1. Faith in God is contrary to reason

   1. We must admit that some religions have little connection to rationality. Some religions make statements that are clearly unreasonable and even ridiculous. For example, Hinduism asserts that the world rests upon an elephant and the elephant rests upon a tortoise. Zen Buddhism suggests one should listen for the sound of “one hand clapping.” Many religions include mystical, contradictory, nonsensical elements. Reason or logic has little or no place in many faiths.

   2. Christianity appeals to man's reason; it claims to make sense and does make sense. The system of Christian thought is logical, consistent, and non-contradictory. God calls his people to “reason together” (Isa 1:18). Reason is not essential to many religions, but it is essential to Christianity.

   3. Atheists commonly allege that the miraculous accounts in the Bible prove it to be an irrational book. However, if God is who He portrays Himself to be in the Bible, miracles are within reason. An omnipotent God has the capacity to do anything He wishes to do, including bypassing or ignoring the laws of nature. Miracles may be remarkable, but they are not irrational.

   4. Religious beliefs are based on historical facts: creation, Abraham and his family, the exodus of Israel out of Egypt, David, Jerusalem, Babylon, etc. Thousands of connections exist between religious statements and historical facts. The most significant historical fact for Christianity is the resurrection of Christ from the dead. If this event did not occur, then Christianity has no validity whatsoever.

   5. If religion is contrary to reason, it is remarkable that nearly half of all scientists hold personal religious views.

2. Humanity does better without religion.

   1. Again, we must admit that some religions have caused greater suffering than they have provided comfort for humanity. Even some forms of Christianity have been and continue to be sources of persecution in some cases. These cases are well known and nobody denies them.

   2. However, Christianity in particular has been the source of incredible benefit to mankind. Many religions, and Christianity in particular, require good works as part of the exercise of that religion. It would be impossible to estimate the millions of good things done on a daily basis by people who are seeking to love their neighbors in the name of Christ. Further, many groups see helping those in need as part of their religious duty. Hospitals, rescue missions, soup kitchens, prison ministries, family ministries, substance abuse programs—all of these and hundreds more are rooted in religious ideas.

   3. Current research has shown that religious belief often aids human life in various ways. In many polls, the happiest, most satisfied people are those who hold religious beliefs. According to a 2007 Gallop poll, at least 6 in 10 Americans who attend church services every week say they are very satisfied with their personal lives and are very happy. ¹ Many people would confirm that their religious practices make their lives better .

   4. Thinking in evolutionary terms, religion must play some role in survival since nearly all humans have been religious. History shows that religious belief was present very early on in virtually all human civilizations. Since the fittest survive, perhaps religious belief gives believers an advantage over unbelievers. If so, then on a purely practical basis, religion is beneficial for mankind.

3. Religion is evil and makes people evil. Belief in God is the basis of all sorts of terrible things.

   1. Atheists have no basis to make such a judgment . How can a person with no moral foundation call anything “evil”? If morality is nothing more than human opinion, then “evil” to one person may be “good” to another. Who is to say that oppression, corruption and violence is “bad”? How does an atheist make such a judgment? He cannot. Without some reference to God, there can be no way of judging whether any act is “good” or “evil.”

Atheists claim that they don't want to be restrained by religious, traditional morality. Yet they still evaluate human behavior in terms of “good” and “evil.” This is self-contradictory and proves atheism to be irrational .

2. Evolution teaches the survival of the fittest and the strongest. Why should anyone be criticized for asserting his strength over others? What value is there in weakness for an evolutionist? The weak, frail, unproductive or unwanted members of society should be eliminated for the benefit of mankind according to an evolutionary viewpoint. The struggle of the strong against the weak is normal.

3. From an atheistic point of view, the “terrible things” that occur in society (eg, war, abuse, racism, violence, etc.) should be seen as natural behavior for human animals. Complaining about such things is inconsistent with their atheism.

4. There is no particular need for God.

   1. The Bible asserts that people often live without any concern for God; they sense no need for God. The Bible also refers to those who live wicked lives, yet seem to enjoy life and receive no judgment for their evil actions—read Psalm 73:2-14.

Ps 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

2. It is evident that many people do sense a need for God—over half the world's citizens are monotheists. The vast majority of humans would admit a need for God, and many of them would affirm that life is meaningless without God.

3. Western society is swiftly moving away from the confident statements of modernity and is increasingly embracing a post-modern vision that embraces the divine, the mysterious, the other-worldly. People are finding little satisfaction and meaning in a clinical, scientific viewpoint that reduces humanity to mere chemical reactions.

4. Evolution and science provide little comfort for those enduring the trials of life. During times of crises, even those professing atheism may admit a need for someone beyond themselves.

5. Atheism is freeing, liberating.

Ps 2:3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

1. Religions certainly do impose restrictions upon their followers. Religions typically include many commands to keep and duties to observe. Some people find such requirements and restrictions burdensome and seek to be free of them.

2. Jesus asserted that his yoke was easy and his burden was light (Mt 11:30). But he also said that his followers would have to give up everything to follow him (Lk 14:33). The Christian life is not only difficult; it is impossible without the grace and mercy of God.

3. True freedom is found in following Christ obediently. Sin is enslaving (Prov 5:22; John 8:34; Rom 6:16). Ask a drunk or a crack addict or someone with STD's if he is really free. Many sinful behaviors result in bondage, not freedom. In contrast, becoming a servant of Christ is a path to freedom.

4. What atheists really want is the freedom to follow their own depraved desires without criticism or judgment. They want to be free of the restrictions typically imposed by Christian values. Yet they don't want to be free of all morality, just those rules they don't like.

5. Christians who think of their faith as a restricting “ball-and-chain” need revival!

6. No convincing evidence for God's existence exists.

   1. The Bible asserts that atheists are willfully ignorant of God. They suppress the knowledge of God, exchange the knowledge of God for a lie, and end up worshipping the creature (themselves or “nature”) instead of the Creator (Rom 1:18f).

   2. There is no lack of evidence pointing to God's existence for those who are open to the idea (Ps 19:1-3; Rom 1:19-20). A denial of this fact is evidence that one is spiritually blind (2 Cor 4:4) and “fleshly” (1 Cor 2:14).

   3. According to the NT, Jesus did many miracles, yet even those who observed such miracles were not necessarily convinced that Jesus was whom he claimed to be. One might wonder what an atheist would consider adequate proof or convincing evidence.

   4. Evidence is over-rated. We believe many things without “sufficient” evidence. If we believed only in those things for which we had a high degree of evidence, we would believe in very little. Further what proof exists that we can believe only when we have sufficient evidence? It's a self-defeating argument. A person may be rational in holding beliefs even if he cannot provide “adequate” proof for that belief. Proof is not required for belief to be rational. ²

   5. Many people have converted to Christianity based on the evidence. Some who set out to disprove Christianity have been led to adopt it based on the evidence supporting it. Examples: Frank Morison, CS Lewis, Lew Wallace

   6. Evidence is not really the problem for atheists; hatred for God is. The atheist philosopher Nietzsche expressed the true reason people reject Christianity: “If one were to prove this God of the Christians to us, we should be even less able to believe in him. 。 。 。 It is our preference that decides against Christianity, not arguments.”

7. Religious teachings are repugnant.

   1. We must admit that many religious beliefs are repugnant. Things believed by Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and others are repelling to Christians. Pseudo-Christian cults teach many ideas that genuine Christians find repugnant.

   2. Christianity is a received faith; Christians do not make it up as they go along. If the Bible presents an accurate picture of God, then we have to take Him as we find Him. We are not free to make God in our image. As creatures, we have no right or capacity to stand in judgment of our Creator. Further, the ways of God are ultimately beyond our comprehension (Isa 55:8-9; Rom 11:33-35).

   3. The doctrine of the eternal punishment of the wicked is certainly a repulsive idea if you are among the wicked. Even saved people do not find it a comforting thought. However, the justice and righteousness of God demand that sin be condemned and judged. God would be unjust if he did not reward obedience and judge sin.

   4. The Bible expects unbelievers to consider Christians doctrine to be “foolish” (Acts 17:32; 1 Cor 1:18-24; 2 Thes 2:10). A hostile reception to biblical claims is the norm.

   5. Atheism has no capacity or right to make moral judgments about religious ideas. Any such statements by atheists are no more than mere opinion.

8. Religion is divisive.

   1. Religion does result in the creation of in-groups and out-groups, the “saved” and the “unsaved,” orthodox and heretics, faithful and infidels. Jesus stated that he would create divisions (Mk 10:34-36), so we should expect nothing less.

   2. Division over ideas is inevitable . One could equally say that atheism is divisive. Any opinion has the capacity to divide.

   3. True Christianity is tolerant of other religions. Unlike some religions (eg, Islam), Christians do not force conversion to Christianity. Some branches of Christianity have been guilty of forced conversions in the past (eg, the RCC), but genuine Christians have not. Toleration of other faiths does not imply recognition of them as valid or legitimate. Atheists enjoy living in free, tolerant nations because freedom and tolerance are Christian ideas.

9. Religion has no good explanation for the presence of evil.

   1. Christians have long admitted that the problem of evil is a significant one, not one that can be easily dismissed or explained away. But a religious viewpoint is the only way to approach the problem seriously.

   2. Atheists have no business talking about “evil.” They have no capacity to judge good or evil because they have no foundation for morality. Without such a foundation, all they have is personal opinion and cultural perspective.

   3. From an evolutionary point of view, much of the “evil” an atheist complains about can be explained as the struggle for the survival of the fittest, which should be expected. Why should that be considered “evil”?

   4. God is sovereign and has the right to do with His creatures as He sees fit. He is not subject to human judgment; on the contrary, our judgment is subject to His Word. We can be assured, despite our circumstances, of God's good character—God is holy, just and good. On that matter God's Word is clear. God expects us to trust Him, not doubt His good intentions. The very nature of faith is to persevere despite unanswered questions. God's Word encourages us to hold on tightly to God's promises and not to be overcome with doubt. ³

10. Science has removed the “need” for God.

We'll take an entire lesson to consider the relationship between science and religion.

Conclusion: Atheists are making the same claims they have made for the past several centuries, and Christians are providing some of the same answers. Atheists are not satisfied with the answers Christianity provides in the same way that Christians are not moved by the claims or counter-arguments of atheists. Ultimately, this is a spiritual struggle. Only the power of God can cut through the blindness and hatred of an atheist's heart.

1 http://www.gallup.com/poll/103483/Most-Americans-Very-Satisfied-Their-Personal-Lives.aspx

2 Ronald Nash, Worldviews in Conflict (Zondervan, 1992).

3 John Frame, Apologetics for the Glory of God.

Lesson 4: The Claims of Atheism

Prepare to be offended and challenged. When we start looking at the claims of atheism, we find that critics and skeptics are sharp-tongued and severe in their claims against religion in general and against Christianity in particular.

Before we look at the claims of atheism, we should be aware of several facts: 1) Some of their criticisms are based in reality. Many things done by Christians, in the name of Christ, or by so-called Christian organizations have been immoral and indecent (eg, the Crusades, the Inquisition). Christendom is guilty of much sin, as are other forms of religious belief. If we evaluate religion in general, we find much to criticize, both historically and currently (eg, Muslim radicals). 2) Atheists tend to present Christianity and other faiths in the worst possible light. They often point to the worst, rare examples of bad behavior and treat them as if they were normal and representative of the religion. This leads to an unrealistic picture of the faith in question. 3) Atheists tend to ignore or downplay the positive contributions religion has made. 4) Atheists often lump all religions together, asserting, for example, that Islam is no different than Christianity, or that Roman Catholicism is the same as Protestantism. They typically paint with a very broad brush, suggesting that the failures and excesses of one form of religion are equally true of all the other forms of religion. Thus, we should be aware that many of their criticisms lack genuine support.

With these things in mind, let's examine several common atheistic claims.

1. Faith in God is contrary to reason

   1. Richard Dawkins: “Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence. 。 。 。 Faith, being belief that isn't based on evidence, is the principal vice of any religion.”

God is a delusion—a “psychotic delinquent” invented by mad, deluded people,…a belief that is not grounded in evidence…. Faith is blind trust, in the absence of evidence, even in the teeth of evidence, … it's a process of non-thinking. It is evil precisely because it requires no justification, and brooks no argument.

2. Religion denies reality . Bertrand Russell: “Man is the product of causes which had no pre-vision of the end they were achieving; … his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms; … [nothing] can preserve an individual life beyond the grave; … The whole temple of Man's achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the debris of a universe in ruins…. Only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair can the soul's habitation henceforth be safely built.”

3. Belief in God is utterly irrational belief—like believing in a teapot orbiting the sun.

4. Religious faith contains no genuine truth. All religious statements are either total myth or are simply opinion. For example, the statement “Jesus is the Savior” cannot be proven; it is mere opinion, a statement of hope, perhaps, but not of fact.

5. When faced with the evidence of science, religious people typically retreat into irrationality or declare the matter to be a mystery, beyond human understanding.

2. Humanity does better without religion.

   1. Humanity is able to solve its own problems without leaning on the “crutch” of religion. Reason holds the key to human success and achievement. The French atheist Baron d'Holbach claimed that if reason is cultivated, there will be no need for God. Marx taught that communism would eliminate man's dependence on the idea of God. Freud argued that religion encouraged unhealthy and dysfunctional outlooks on life. Religious faith is a negative factor in personal development. Man must be freed of religious illusions so he can pursue a more meaningful existence.

   2. Elimination of belief in God would lead to a more peaceful and stable world. John Lennon's song “Imagine” includes the lyrics “imagine there's no heaven; it's easy if you try/ No hell below us, above us only sky.” By eliminating religious, political, social and economic differences, humanity would finally be able to achieve unity. Once religion had been eradicated, there would be only a “brotherhood of man” with nothing left “to kill or die for.”

   3. The elimination of religion would foster peace and prosperity. Tensions and violence would be eradicated with the removal of religion. Since religion is the problem, its disappearance will be to the general benefit of civilization.

   4. Atheism offers hope —the hope of a better future and the possibility of being involved in bringing this future about. Atheism offers humanity the possibility of transforming itself, starting all over again without the encumbrance of outmoded ideas inherited from a distant past.

3. Religion is evil and makes people evil. Belief in God is the basis of all sorts of terrible things.

   1. Religion is the cause of much oppression, corruption, and violence in the world. As Christopher Hitchins asserts, organized religion is “violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism , tribalism , and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children.” The God that the Jews believed in back in OT times is a psychotic child abuser.

   2. The God of the Bible is a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.

   3. Religion leads to violence and is anti-science. Believers are really perverted, degenerate and unthinking. Religious people are a bunch of hypocrites.

   4. Religion stopped people from doing things that were fun, useful, and productive.

   5. Various religious practices are eccentric, pointless, or harmful.

   6. Religion hinders scientific discovery (eg, Galileo). Religion teaches ideas that are false, such as young-earth creation, the possibility of miracles, life after death, angels and demons, etc.

   7. [Religious believers are] deranged, deluded, deceived and deceiving, any intellectual capacity having been warped and through having been hijacked by an infectious, malignant God virus.

4. There is no particular need for God.

   1. Atheists typically lead happy, meaningful lives without the unnecessary belief in God. Religion serves no purpose for them; it holds no attraction. On the contrary, religious belief is especially repulsive to many people.

   2. The natural world provides a satisfying alternative to God. Nature becomes almost divine in its own right. Nature was responsible for “creating” man, so any reverence or worship a person might want to express can be directed toward nature.

   3. The laws of nature can explain every phenomenon; there is no need for God when all things that occur have a natural explanation.

   4. Man must display courage in the face of an uncaring, dark, meaningless universe. He must make what he can of his own life without relying on God.

   5. Once religion gets out of the way, mankind can see how to solve its own problems. Man has the capacity to make life what he wants it to be. He is fully responsible for himself and has all the resources needed to solve every problem.

   6. Religion has failed. Atheists may harbor bitter hatred for religion because of previous personal experiences (eg, abuse, neglect, scorn, discrimination). What propels people toward atheism is above all a sense of revulsion against the excesses and failures of organized religion.

5. Atheism is freeing , liberating.

   1. In the past, organized religion prevented people from following their natural instincts and inclinations. It heaped guilt on those behaving in perfectly natural ways. It limited people from fully expressing their humanity.

   2. The idea of atheism liberates people from the stifling social customs and morals of the day, and allows society to break free from its meaningless traditions. Atheism offers a break from the religious past. It is exciting and daring because it breaks traditional social taboos.

   3. Atheism destroys the myth of the gods and thus enables humanity to step outside the arbitrary limits placed upon it by religious bigots. Abolishing the idea of God allows mankind the freedom to pursue whatever ideas and behaviors it desires.

   4. Religious indoctrination limits and restricts; atheism frees, ending the boredom of religious training and opening new options.

   5. Atheism is different. Where religions oppress, atheism liberates. The first step to authentic human existence is to throw off the outdated and destructive idea of God.

   6. Atheism offers visions of a larger freedom, allowing humanity to throw aside its chains and enter a new and glorious phase in their history.

David Mills: “Virtually all of the atheist I've know have been dynamic, highly optimistic men and women who enjoyed life to the hilt, particularly because they were liberated from the morbid, guilt-ridden, religious ball-and-chain around their necks. By contrast, I've known scores of Christians who led very unfulfilling lives, praying endlessly for 'miracles' that never occurred or waiting pitifully for Jesus' oft-delayed second coming.”

6. No convincing evidence for God's existence exists.

   1. There simply is no compelling, convincing evidence for God's existence. On the basis of the empirical evidence of the world and the rational resources at his disposal, belief in God is not a necessary conclusion.

   2. There is no intellectual obligation to believe in God. An informed mind cannot reach a reliable conclusion on the existence of God on the basis of available evidence.

   3. The “default setting” for mankind should be atheism. One should believe in God only on the basis of credible evidence, and such evidence is lacking.

When Bertrand Russell was asked how he would reply if God questioned why he didn't believe, Russell replied that he would tell God, “Not enough evidence God. Not enough evidence.”

7. Religious teachings are repugnant.

   1. The most fundamental criticisms directed against Christianity have to do with the moral character of God and often focus specifically on the issues of judgment and eternal punishment (ie, hell). For example, Darwin admits that his rejection of Christianity was not based so much on evolution as it was based on the idea of the eternal punishment of the wicked.

   2. Atheism is a powerful protest against morally and intellectually inferior visions of reality. Religious ideas and values are at least inferior to, and possibly irreconcilable with, the best moral standards and ideals of human culture.

   3. Religious teachings (ie, doctrines) are often beyond belief. The idea that God inhabited a human body, that Jesus was this God incarnate, that he lived a perfect life, died for sinners, and rose again, and that one can be forgiven for sin by faith—all of this is unbelievable. The idea that God knows all things and somehow keeps track of people's behaviors and will reward or punish them is ridiculous. Accounts of the miraculous come from pre-scientific, ignorant minds. Religious ideas like these are mere myth, probably lifted from previous religions or legends.

   4. Many biblical accounts are morally repulsive: God killing the first born children in Egypt; God killing a whole generation of Israelites in the desert; the Israelites killing the inhabitants of Canaan; animal sacrifices; the imprecatory psalms; capital punishment for homosexuals and disobedient children; etc.

   5. Religion is a source of overwhelming guilt and anxiety. You have this unbelievably nosy voyeur in the sky, allegedly watching your every move and monitoring all your private thoughts. If God detects any “sin” in your life, then He threatens to roast you eternally in a fiery torture chamber. This belief is hardly comforting. ¹

8. Religion is divisive .

   1. Religion encourages the formation and maintenance of in-groups and out-groups, the “saved” and the “unsaved,” orthodox and heretics, faithful and infidels. Such divisions cause war, persecution, and much needless suffering. Removing religion is essential if this form of social demarcation and discrimination is to be defeated.

   2. It's unreasonable to believe that only one religion is exclusively true. It would mean that billions of religious people from every other religious faith are wrong today and have been wrong throughout the centuries. Those who think they have the truth will be intolerant of those who won't accept it. If one group has political power, it will often persecute opposing groups (eg, the RCC in the Middle Ages).

   3. Christian Fundamentalism instead teaches an unhealthy (and unethical) religious prejudice and hostility toward individuals of diverse opinion and background.

9. Religion has no good explanation for the presence of evil .

   1. One of the most powerful arguments against theism is the presence of evil in the world. If one true, powerful, good God actually exists, then he would either prevent or reverse the forces of evil. But evil is present and nothing seems to be stopping it. Evil seems to have no purpose; it occurs to both good and bad. So God must not exist, or he is not good, or he is not powerful.

   2. If God is really out there, then why does he seem to hide himself? Why doesn't he just show up to debunk the false religions and end all the controversy? It would be easy for God to demonstrate his existence or to verify the “true” faith. The fact that no God has done so is proof that no God exists.

10. Science has removed the “need” for God.

    1. Humanity is religious only to the degree that it is ignorant of science. As science has progressed over the last few centuries, religion has become less and less plausible. Today, because science can explain virtually all phenomena, religion is no longer necessary. Religious myths have no place in modern society.

    2. Only scientific investigation yields truth; only what is testable in a laboratory can be considered true. Science deals in matters of fact, while religion stays merely in the realm of faith. Religion is never a matter of objective fact but merely subjective taste, opinion, and hope. Religious opinions should never be presented as factual or true.

    3. Informed minds have rejected the idea of God, and only the pre-scientific, unquestioning, antiquated, or simple-minded have succumbed to this belief, through fear or ignorance.

    4. Science has incontrovertibly proven that the Book of Genesis is utter mythology.

Richard Feynman, noble prize winning physicist: “God was invented to explain mystery. God is always invented to explain those things that you do not understand. Now, when you finally discover how something works, you get some laws which you're taking away from God; you don't need him anymore.”

Carl Sagan: “the Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be.”

Conclusion: Advocates of atheism make some bold claims that most religious people would find offensive and challenging. Many of them we can write off as invalid, while others may cause us to pause and think. Future lessons will seek to answer these claims.

1 David Mills, Atheist Universe .

Lesson 3: The History of Atheism ¹

To understand a cultural movement, it is often helpful to trace its history, and so we now turn to a brief overview of the history of atheism. One might assume that atheistic ideas would extend back to the remotest parts of human history, but such is not the case. In the ancient world, atheism was virtually unheard of. Everyone believed in a god of some sort. Many lived as if they did not believe in the god or gods they professed, but few indeed would have denied belief in any god. Yet in our time, atheism is a common worldview.

How did the remarkable and monumental reversal occur? History tells us.

1. Cultural conditions

   1. Conditions in Western Europe before the French Revolution

      1. In 17th century Western Europe, belief in God had become a deeply embedded aspect of European culture, with the institution of the church widely seen as a stabilizing influence on the region. However, the Reformation brought an end to Roman Catholic dominion over the entire region and other forms of Christian expression became popular.

      2. The Reformers and many others reacted strongly against the power, influence, and wealth of the Roman Church, which had become an agent of oppression and exploitation. While the Reformers urged a return to the NT model, others saw Christianity as holding back social, intellectual, and political progress. For some, the best way to undermine the church was to attack the ideas on which the church was based, undermine the credibility of its teachings.

      3. The 18 ^th century (1700s) was an age of revolution. Many saw religion as the enemy of progress, lending a spurious divine authority to the traditions of the past and the corrupt monarchies that depended on them for what little credibility they possessed.

      4. This era is often called the Age of Enlightenment (or Age of Reason) because of the adoption of rationalism and humanism and the application of the scientific method to all things. It was an age of immense scientific advance. Belief in natural law and universal order promoted a scientific approach to political and scientific issues, and gave rise to a sense of human progress. ² The Enlightenment marked the beginning of the modern era (“modernity” ³ ) and set the stage for atheism to gain influence. The dawning of the Enlightenment marked the beginning of the demise of Christianity as the leading cultural influence in Western civilization.

   2. Modern atheism can be traced back to the French Revolution.

      1. If any event signals the dawn of the golden age of atheism in the West, it is the French Revolution of 1789. The Revolution in France was a political upheaval that ended the monarchy and severely weakened the Roman Catholic Church there. There was good reason for hostility toward the crown and the church in France. The aristocracy lived in luxury while the peasants suffered grinding poverty. The Church was corrupt and supported the monarchy. The middle class was heavily and unfairly taxed to support the excesses of both the government and the church. A widespread rebellion against the aristocracy and the church was inevitable. The middle class was intent on destroying both. Since the church supported the monarchy, the church would have to go, too. The wisdom of the day was as simple as it was powerful: eliminate God, and a new future would dawn. Atheism was seen as a liberator capable of overthrowing both the monarchy and the church.

      2. French writers began asserting the idea that one could understand nature by reason and experience, without God. Everything could be accounted for on purely materialist grounds. Belief in God is the product of a misguided human imagination, not the rigorous scientific application of the scientific method. Science liberates humanity from false ideas of supernatural powers or beings. Ignorance of nature gives birth to the idea of God. The “god” for the French became humanism.

Quoting D'Holbach: An atheist is someone who destroys human [fantasies] in order call people back to nature, experience and reason.

3. Without the restraining influence of the idea of God, anything was possible, including the creation of a new society, liberated from the oppressive rule of monarchy and church.

Diderot: “France would not be free until the last of its kings had been strangled with the entrails of its last priest.”

4. Some French writers attempted to make belief in God invulnerable to skeptical assault. Rene Descartes set out to demonstrate the existence of God with certainty. Instead of basing his argument on religious experience, Descartes founded his beliefs on philosophy and natural science. Few found his arguments compelling.

5. Atheism did not become a significant force in British life in the eighteenth century. France and Germany were the centers of atheistic philosophy.

2. Leading figures advocating atheism

The intellectual foundations for atheism extend back to a handful of influential writers. Ideas originally limited to a small elite gradually percolated downward and outward into society as a whole. Eventually, they became accepted and familiar. Intellectuals became the “secular priesthood” preaching atheism.

1. In France

   1. In 1748, Julien Offroy de La Mettrie published a work asserting that human happiness depends upon the triumph of atheism, which alone can liberate humanity from tyranny, war, and oppression—all of which have religious roots.

   2. Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet) (1694-1778) is often first on the list of French skeptics to blame for spreading atheism, but he was not really an atheist. Voltaire was a bold critic of the church and a proponent of “natural” religion, but was also strongly defended the idea of a supreme being, who was inadequately and falsely represented by the religions of the world, especially the French Catholic church. Voltaire was joined by many genuine atheists in his denunciation of the church, but Voltaire himself was not an atheist. Voltaire, for all his many savage criticisms of the French religious establishment of his day, did not himself espouse atheism.

   3. Denis Diderot (1713-84) was an influential spokesman for atheism who taught that the principle of everything is creative nature, matter in its self-activity, eternally productive of all change and all design. He said that religions have made the world ugly with their murderous wars and endless dogmatic controversies.

   4. Paul Henri Thiry, Baron d'Holbach (1723-1789). In 1761 D'Holbach began his written attacks on theologians and religious power. D'Holbach taught that most of man's woes stemmed from religion. “Ignorance and fear,” he claimed, “are the two hinges of all religion.” He taught that morals were quite possible without religion: “Let … reason be cultivated … and there will be no need of opposing to the passions such a feeble barrier as the fear of the gods.” ⁴

   5. The Marquis de Sade argued (from an insane asylum) that belief in God is just repressive superstition. Obedience to natural desire is what is really important. The first stage of enlightenment is rejection of God. Religion is the barrier preventing humanity from enjoying its vices. Abandoning faith in God is the first step to enjoying life. There is no life to come; only a life in the present, which we ought to enjoy as much as possible. The idea of God is an outmoded superstition that merely gets in the way of enjoying life to the full. Atheism makes sexual experimentation legitimate and interesting.

2. In Germany and Austria

   1. Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-72), the “father” of European atheism: religion is a human construction

      1. Feuerbach, who started out as a theology student, argued that Christianity trivializes death by diverting believers from their actual relations with other persons and with the natural world around them. Authentic human existence is godless and limited to this life.

      2. Feuerbach followed the philosopher Hegel in teaching that humanity invented the idea of God as a consolation and distraction from the sorrow of the world. God was a human creation. Humanity existed alone; it had brought the notion of God into being as a misguided means of comforting itself during life's dark and shadowy journey. God was but a “dream of the human soul,” a pure invention, the product of a human mind.

      3. Religion is not a God-given set of ideas but a human construction. Religion tells us nothing about God and everything about ourselves. The idea of God was a dream and the church the perpetuator of this delusion.

   2. Karl Marx (1818-83): religion is the “opium of the people”

      1. Marx was a materialist, one who believes that the world consists only of matter, without spiritual dimensions. Further, Marx believed that every aspect of human life and thought is determined by social and economic factors. Ideas and values are determined by the material realities of life. People's social and economic conditions determine what they think. The idea of God is a human attempt to cope with the harshness of material life and the pain resulting from social and economic privation.

      2. Religion has no real independent existence, but is merely a symptom of something more real, namely, the material world. God is simply a projection of human concern. Theology is nothing more than a human creation of purely social forces. Religion is a human creation in response to the alienation experienced through the process of production. “Humans make religion.” It is a comfort that enables people to tolerate their economic alienation. Religion is merely the result of certain social and economic conditions. When communism is instituted, religion will vanish.

      3. Religion provides an illusion of happiness. To enjoy true happiness, one must give up the illusion. Religion provides the justification for the status quo; it lends authority to the upper classes to oppress the poor. Religion will die naturally when communism is imposed.

      4. Famous quote from Marx: Religion is the “sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people.”

1. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939): religion is “neurosis”

   1. Freud taught that it is natural for humanity not to believe in God. Religion, not atheism, is what needs to be explained. “Religion is an illusion and it derives its strength from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual desires.”

   2. Religious ideas are “illusions, fulfillments of the oldest, strongest and most urgent wishes of mankind. … We shall tell ourselves that it would be very nice if there were a God who created the world and was a benevolent Providence, and if there were a moral order in the universe and an afterlife; but it is a very striking fact that all this is exactly as we are bound to wish it to be.”

   3. Freud became a psychoanalyst precisely because he was an atheist. He believed religion posed a threat to the advance of the Enlightenment and the natural sciences. Freud's approach to religion rests upon the perceived need to explain why anyone would wish to take the extraordinary step of believing in God, when there is obviously no God to believe in.

   4. “Religion is an attempt to get control over the sensory world, in which we are placed, by means of the wish-world, which we have developed inside us as a result of biological and psychological necessities.”

   5. Religion is a “neurosis” civilized individuals must pass through on their way from childhood to maturity.

   6. Psychoanalysis has made us familiar with the intimate connection between the father-complex and belief in God; it has shown us that a personal God is, psychologically, nothing other than an exalted father, and it brings us evidence of how young people lose their religious beliefs as soon as their father's authority breaks down.

   7. Belief in a personal God is little more than an infantile delusion. Religion is wishful thinking. God is to be seen as a wish fulfillment, arising from repressed, unconscious infantile longings for protection and security. Religious beliefs owe their origins to a childlike feeling of helplessness, which arises in response to external dangers, internal impulses, and a fear of death.

2. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900): “God is dead”

   1. Nietzsche said that belief in the Christian God had become virtually indefensible in modern Western society. The primary emphasis of Nietzsche's mature writings is that “belief in the Christian God has become unbelievable.” Western culture had not ceased to believe in God on account of unassailable philosophical reasons, but because it shifted mood. God is gradually being eliminated from modern culture. Whether this is right or wrong, good or bad, it is happening. Western culture has ceased to find belief in God plausible.

   2. Nietzsche despised religion in general, and Christianity in particular, with unbridled fury. He said, “I call Christianity the one great curse, the one enormous and innermost perversion, the one great instinct of revenge, for which o means are too venomous, too underhanded, too underground, and too petty.” Nietzsche was the most imaginative and articulate modern spokesman for atheism. He philosophically and ideologically swayed the twentieth-century mind. ⁵

   3. Nietzsche spent the last eleven years of his life insane.

1. Recent history of atheism ⁶

Within the last few decades, several writers who advocate atheism have come into prominence. Here are a few you should be familiar with:

1. Anthony Flew: As a professor of philosophy at Oxford and other universities, Flew was a leading proponent of atheism and humanism. Flew earned his fame by arguing that one should presuppose atheism until evidence of a God surfaces. However, in 2004, Flew changed his views and became a deist, believing in an “inactive, inoffensive” god. Some believe Flew's change of mind was due to a serious mental decline accompanying his old age.

2. Richard Dawkins: This twice-divorced British biologist and Oxford scholar has sold millions of books advocating evolution and atheism. He has also been active in the popular media as an outspoken voice for atheism and against creationism and Christianity. Dawkins has been labeled “Darwin's Rottweiler” because of his devotion to Darwinian evolution and his hostility toward biblical creationism. He's also been called “the nearest thing to a professional atheist we have had since Bertrand Russell .” Dawkins' book The God Delusion had sold over 1.5 million copies and been translated to 31 languages.

3. Christopher Hitchins: This author, journalist and political activist is noted for his wit, scholarship, and abrasive personality. His 2007 book God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything asserts, among other things, that organized religion is “violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism , tribalism , and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children.” He's a popular speaker on the lecture circuit and frequently debates theologians and creationists.

4. Other notable proponents of atheism (in no particular order)

   1. John Dewey , atheistic American philosopher , psychologist , and educational reformer

   2. Sam Harris , author and scientist, argues that religious fundamentalism is dangerous and theologically unsound.

   3. David Hume , the Scottish philosopher , wrote that human reason is wholly inadequate to make any assumptions about the divine.

   4. Vladimir Lenin , leader of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, believed all religions led to the “exploitation and the stupefaction of the working class.”

   5. HL Mencken , American journalist and satirist who famously ridiculed those who believed the Genesis account of creation at the so-called Scopes Monkey Trial .

   6. Bertrand Russell , British philosopher and mathematician, maintained that religion is little more than superstition and, despite any positive effects that religion might have, it is largely harmful to people. He believed religions impede knowledge, foster fear and dependency, and are responsible for much of the war, oppression, and misery that have beset the world.

   7. John Lennon , singer/songwriter, famously sang “and no religion too” in his song “ Imagine .” Lennon commented that the song was “an anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic song, but because it's sugar-coated, it's accepted.”

As a result of Feuerbach, Marx, Freud, Nietzsche and the rest, society's thinking about religion did an about face, starting with the Enlightenment and extending to the current era. Earlier generations regarded the existence of God as a natural and fundamental aspect of humanity. After these and others, ⁷ atheism became natural and religious belief something to be explained away. God was the product of social and psychological factors. The idea of God was a mere invention, useful in consoling weak and foolish souls who were naïve enough to believe it. God was nothing more than an illusion, created by fearful minds to console themselves in the face of the immensity and meaninglessness of the universe. The idea of God, in their view, was a source of evil in the world, an idea to be destroyed.

Interestingly, in spite of the fact that many of the leading voices in education, philosophy, science, arts and letters, and media advocate atheism or are hostile toward organized religion, the majority of people in the world are religious, while the vast minority would describe themselves as atheists or unbelievers. Americans in particular are confirmed theists, with over 80% of them describing themselves as Christian. Still, the skeptics and critics are having an impact in Western civilization, where secularism is gaining ground.

1 Much of the material in this lesson comes from Alister McGrath, The Twilight of Atheism .

2 The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia , 269.

3 Modernity is defined as “a confident, [optimistic] movement, convinced of the supreme ability of human reason to understand the world and hence to master and control it.” McGrath, Twilight , 218. The current age is often labeled “post-modern” because western culture has moved beyond the ideals of modernism.

4 http://www.answers.com/d'holbach.

5 Zacharias, The Real Face of Atheism , 25.

6 Most of this information comes from Wikipedia.org

7 One of the leading figures associated with the rise of atheism is Charles Darwin, popularizer of natural evolution. We'll discuss his contributions to atheism in another lesson.

Atheism: Lesson 2: Biblical Data

What does the Bible have to say about those who deny the existence of God? Surprisingly, not very much. Genuine atheism was a very uncommon belief, and few in biblical times adopted such a position. Much more common was the worship of many gods (polytheism) or the worship of a particular regional or ethnic “god” (henotheism—choosing one “god” out of many). True atheism has become common only within the last several centuries (we'll discuss the history of atheism in the next lesson).

What does the Bible teach regarding God's existence and those who deny it?

1. The Bible assumes God's existence; it does not attempt to prove it.
   1. The opening words of the Bible state the existence of God: “In the beginning, God created…”
      1. The Bible begins and ends with the assertion and assumption of God's existence. It simply declares to man what he already knows in his heart—that God is. The Bible has no formal arguments or proofs for God's existence (although there is abundant biblical proof of His existence). ¹
      2. The existence of God is based on revealed truth. God has revealed Himself “at sundry times and in divers manners” (Heb1:1). He has spoken through the prophets to the “fathers” and most revealingly through his Son, Jesus Christ. Without direct revelation, mankind would know very little about God.
      3. God holds man responsible to believe what God has revealed. Skeptics may claim that if God exists, He has not provided enough evidence to prove his existence (a common argument). However, the amount of revelation God has provided is enough to make man accountable and responsible to believe. Claims of ignorance of God due to lack of evidence will not hold up in God's court of law.

Note: Philosophical arguments or proofs for God's existence began with Thomas Aquinas, a Roman Catholic theologian and philosopher of the 13th century. His ideas were rediscovered and popularized in the 18th century by various Protestant teachers. The idea behind the proofs is that one can reason his way independently to a knowledge of the existence of the true God apart from special revelation and/or regeneration.

Aquinas proposed “five ways” by which one could arrive at a true knowledge of God apart from the Bible or special revelation. All of these are still being used to “prove” the existence of God today.

1。 From motion to an “Unmoved Mover.”

2。 From a contingent being to a “Necessary Being.”

3。 From degrees of perfection to a “Most Perfect Being.”

4。 From effects to a “First Cause.”

5。 From design to a “Designer.”

Basing our faith in God on such proofs is not wise, because if it can be shown that the proofs/arguments are weak, the entire foundation for faith is shaken if not totally devastated. While abundant evidence for God's existence does exist, we do not base our faith on philosophical proofs but on Scripture.

1. 2. Although the Bible does not present arguments proving God's existence, at certain points God demonstrated his existence and power to a skeptical audience. Often such proof was miraculous in nature.
      1. Moses with Pharaoh (Ex 4:4)
      2. Elisha with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18)
      3. The retreat of the sundial as a sign to Hezekiah (Isa 38:7-8)
      4. Various experiences with Jesus: raising the dead, walking on water, calming the storm, healings, etc. The ultimate miracle was Jesus' resurrection from the dead. John says that these miracles were designed to convince people that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 20:31).
      5. Paul's experience on the road to Damascus (Acts 9)

A word of caution regarding miracles as proofs of God's existence: In the Bible we find a variety of responses to miracles. Sometimes the miracle results in a mass conversion (eg, Elijah with the prophets of Baal—the people cried out, “The LORD, he is God;” Jesus' appearance to Thomas after the resurrection elicited the response, “My Lord and my God.”). However, in the NT, we find that Jesus' enemies were not convinced by miracles (eg, after the resurrection of Lazarus, the Jewish authorities did not deny the miracle; they sought to kill both Jesus and Lazarus). The apostles did “notable” miracles, which the Jewish authorities admitted, but that did not convince them of anything; they retained their hostile attitude toward the early Christians (see Acts 4). Further, remember that Satan himself has the power to do counterfeit signs and wonders (2 Thes 2:9). Thus, even if skeptics experience genuine miracles, it would not necessarily convince them of anything. ²

Atheists typically reject any kind of miraculous activity as proof for God with the following arguments:

1. Until the modern era, anything out of the ordinary or not understood was attributed to the gods/God. Even today, unusual events are called “miraculous.” However, such events have a natural explanation, as all events do. Science is able to explain virtually all phenomena, leaving very few “gaps” for God to inhabit. Even a remarkable, unexplainable event should not be taken as a sign of God's existence but simply as an anomaly, a freak of nature with an entirely natural explanation. Eg, natural explanations for resurrection claims.
2. Biblical miracles should not be taken seriously . They are the evidence of pre-scientific understanding. So-called miracles are either pure myth or the suppositions of an unscientific mind. The Bible includes many myths, legends, and fables to heighten or strengthen the reputations of the characters, who also likely never really existed. Eg, Noah, Samson.

2. The Bible teaches that atheism is foolish and wicked .
   1. Absolute atheism

Ps 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

1. 2. Practical atheism

Ps 10:3-4 For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, [whom] the LORD abhorreth. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

In both cases, wickedness is directly associated with atheism. It is the wicked person who first curses and renounces the Lord and then in pride repeatedly thinks “there is no God.” Sin, not lack of proof, leads people to think irrationally and to deny God's existence.

3. The Bible gives several reasons for unbelief.
   1. Foolishness (Ps 14:1)
   2. Sin (Ps 10:3-4; John 16:9; Rom 1:19-26): A desire for freedom to fulfill any physical appetite often leads to a rejection of God. For many, God represents a cosmic kill-joy, the ultimate party-pooper. In order to pursue guiltless pleasure, the concept of God must be destroyed.
   3. Blindness (Rom 11:25; 2 Cor 4:4)
   4. Hardheartedness (1 Tim 4:2)
   5. Ignorance (1 Cor 2:8; 1 Tim 1:13)
   6. Spiritual deadness (Eph 2:1)
   7. Satanic or demonic influence (2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2; 1 Pet 5:8)
   8. Being “ natural ” (1 Cor 2:14) or “ carnal ” (Rom 8:6-8)

Mt 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

4. The Bible teaches that all people know that God exists.

Ps 19:1-4a The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

Isa 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

Rom 1:19-25 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. 阿门。

Ro 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another

1. 1. The Bible teaches that all persons everywhere, whether they admit it or not, have a deep, inner sense that God exists, that they are his creatures, and that he is their Creator. Paul asserts that God has shown information about himself to mankind. Even Gentile unbelievers “knew God” but did not honor him as God or give thanks to him (Rom 1:21), as they should have done. Wicked unbelievers have exchanged the truth about God for a lie, implying that they actively or willfully rejected some truth about God's existence and character that they knew. ³
   2. Sin will cause people to deny their knowledge of God: Paul speaks of those who “by their wickedness suppress the truth ” (Rom 1:18). They knew God, suppressed this knowledge, exchanged the truth for a lie, and worshipped the creature rather than the creator. What knowledge of God people have they normally corrupt.
   3. General revelation is information about God that is available to all people generally. Any human capable of rational thought has access to knowledge about God.
      1. The means of general revelation:
         1. Creation – “things which are made” (Rom 1:20).
            1. Every created thing says something about its Creator. Mankind in particular, being made in the “image and likeness” of God, displays characteristics of his Creator. Such an incredibly intricate, skillful, communicative living creature could only have been created by an infinite, all-wise Creator.
            2. David tells us that the natural world tells of God's glory. Nature “speaks” and pours forth knowledge of the Creator. Such information is available to all and extends to the ends of the earth (Ps 19:1-4). To look upward into the sky by day or by night is to see sun, moon, and stars, sky and clouds, all continually declaring by their existence and beauty and greatness that a powerful and wise Creator has made them and sustains them in their order.

Ps 8:3-4 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

1. 1. 1. 1. 3. The “rains and fruitful seasons” as well as the “food and gladness” that all people experience and benefit from are also said by Barnabas and Paul to be witnesses to God (Acts 14:17).

Quoting Grudem: “Everything that exists gives evidence of God's existence. For those who have eyes to see and evaluate the evidence correctly, every leaf on every tree, every blade of grass, every star in the sky, and every other part of creation all cry out continuously, “God made me! God made me! God made me!” If our hearts and minds were not so blinded by sin, it would be impossible for us to look closely at a leaf from any tree and say, “No one created this: it just happened.” The beauty of a snowflake, the majestic power of a thunderstorm, the skill of a honeybee, the refreshing taste of cold water, the incredible abilities of the human hand—all these and thousands of other aspects of creation simply could not have come into existence apart from the activity of an all-powerful and all-wise Creator.”

1. 1. 1. 2. Conscience – “the law written in their hearts” (Rom 2:15); an internal sense of right and wrong.

Note: Morality is an issue that atheists have a hard time explaining. Without a Law-giver, there can be no unchanging standards of morality. In such a case, all moral standards come down to mere human opinion and invention. If mankind is just another animal trying to survive, no moral restraints can be imposed on him.

1. 1. 2. The message of general revelation:
         1. God exists .
         2. God is good .
         3. God is powerful .
         4. Men should thank God and worship Him.

1. 1. 3. The “moment” (significance) of general revelation:
         1. Those who know God through general revelation and suppress and corrupt this knowledge are “without excuse” (Rom 1:20). God holds them accountable for what information they have.
         2. Instead of thanking God and seeking to know him, they exchange the truth for a lie and start worshipping the creation rather than the creator. The primary object of worship for atheists is man himself, and in particular, oneself.
         3. Thus, even for those who never hear the name of Jesus, they have enough information about God to be held accountable.

5. The Bible teaches that some people have access to more specific information about God.
   1. Special revelation is that information that God has revealed about Himself to a select person or group. This information usually becomes public and is broadly published so many people have access to it. The Bible is special revelation, given originally to select individuals and groups, but now broadly available to almost anyone who cares to read it or listen to it.
   2. Special revelation reveals much more about God than general revelation does. We cannot know much about God's attributes and will without special revelation.
   3. Salvation depends on receiving special revelation.

Ro 10:13-14 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?… So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

6. The Bible teaches that belief in God is a matter of faith .

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

1. 1. Faith is based on general revelation (God's works).
   2. Faith is based on special revelation (ie, Scripture—God's Word).
   3. For those who are correctly evaluating the evidence, everything in Scripture and everything in nature proves clearly that God exists and that he is the powerful and wise Creator that Scripture describes him to be. Therefore, when we believe that God exists, we are basing our belief not on some blind hope apart from any evidence, but on an overwhelming amount of reliable evidence from God's words and God's works. It is a characteristic of true faith that it is a confidence based on reliable evidence, and faith in the existence of God shares this characteristic. Furthermore, these evidences can all be seen as valid proofs for the existence of God, even though some people reject them. This does not mean that the evidence is invalid in itself, only that those who reject the evidence are evaluating it wrongly.
   4. God must enable us to be persuaded or we would never believe in him. Man is by nature blind and spiritually dead, totally unresponsive and hostile to God. It is only through the gospel message and the conviction of the Holy Spirit that a person may be saved (John 16:8-11; Rom 1:16; 1 Cor 1:21). Human wisdom will never result in the true knowledge of God. We are dependent upon God to remove the blindness and irrationality caused by sin and to enable us to evaluate the evidence rightly, believe what Scripture says, and come to saving faith in Christ. ⁴
   5. Evidence, proofs, and arguments can be effective in leading someone to faith in Christ. Ultimately, however, no one is saved simply by being convinced by the evidence. The Holy Spirit must convict one of his sin and his need to trust Christ as Savior. God is the One who “gives the increase.”

Conclusion: The Bible's teaching on atheism is clear: God has provided ample revelation of himself, both generally and specifically. All people have access to this information. Men who naturally hate the idea of God suppress this knowledge and refuse to acknowledge God's existence and right to govern them. Sin and a desire to live without moral restraints motivate atheism, not a lack of evidence that God exists. Atheists, of course, would deny all of these claims because they deny the inspiration of the Bible.

1 Rolland McCune, Systematic Theology I Class Notes, Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary.

2 In most cases, biblical miracles are accompanied by an authoritative commentary on the meaning or purpose of the event. Without a prophetic or apostolic explanation, even miraculous events can be misunderstood or written off as flukes of nature, mere coincidence.

3 Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology : An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 1994), 141.

4 Grudem, 144.

Lesson 1: Introduction and Definitions

简介：

On August 7, 1961, the twenty-six-year-old pilot Major Gherman Titov became the second Soviet cosmonaut to orbit the earth and return safely, climaxing a monumental feat for humankind. Sometime later, speaking at the World's Fair and savoring his moment of glory, he recounted his experience. Affirming the official Soviet position of atheism, he boldly stated that, on his excursion into space, he hadn't seen God. Upon hearing of this exuberant argument from silence, someone quipped, “Had he stepped out of his spacesuit he would have.” ¹

Major Titov's experience can be brushed aside as irrelevant to the question of God's existence, but the issue he raises is a significant one. The most fundamental and essential question humans can ask is, “Does God exist?” Has God created man, or has man created God? Is God only a psychological necessity to man, a “crutch” to help him make sense of his world, or does God have objective, independent existence? Is God responsible for man, or man responsible for God?

Why are these important questions to ask? Because more consequences for life and action follow from the affirmation or denial of God than from any other basic question. Nothing has a more direct bearing on the moral choices made by individuals or the purposes pursued by societies than belief or disbelief in God. Personal and national destinies are inextricably bound to this issue.

If God exists, then a certain set of consequences come into play—there is ultimate meaning and purpose to your life, there is a difference between right and wrong, and choices you make now not only affect you here but in eternity. On the other hand, if there is no God, a different set of consequences pertain—your life ultimately means nothing, morality is a human invention, and there is no existence after death. It doesn't matter how you live or what you believe—your destiny is dust. ² Obviously, those who adopt a theistic worldview will have fundamental disagreements with those who take an atheistic point of view, resulting in a struggle for dominance. This struggle moves the events of history.

Atheism seems to be gaining ground as a legitimate worldview in Western culture. Much of Europe has already adopted an atheistic point of view, and atheism is becoming more prominent in the US as Christian influence wanes. Books supporting atheism abound, often appearing at the top of the best sellers lists. Atheistic propaganda is common in the media, and many influential figures espouse atheism. Ideas have consequences, and atheism is an idea that Christians cannot afford to ignore.

The purpose of this series of lessons is to define and examine atheism from a Christian perspective. We are not out to prove God's existence, but to examine and evaluate atheistic claims. We'll start with some important definitions.

Definitions:

Theist: someone who believes that a personal God created the universe and is active in it, although not part of creation. Major theistic religions are Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Theists believe God made all .

Pantheist: someone who believes in an impersonal God that literally is the universe. Pantheists believe that God is everything that exists. Major pantheistic religions are Hinduism, some forms of Buddhism, and many forms of the “New Age” Movement. Pantheists believe God is all .

Atheist: someone who does not believe in any type of God. Everything has always existed and no one made it. Atheists believe no God at all . ³

Atheism is open and positive denial of the existence of God. The word atheism comes from a (a prefix meaning “not”) + theos (the Greek word for “God”). An atheist is one who believes “no god” of any sort exists. The word does not refer to a mere ignorance of God, but applies to one who considers himself informed on the claims and evidence for the existence of God and who emphatically denies them.

There are three types of atheist, practically speaking: ⁴

1. The Absolute Atheist. This is one who denies the absolute existence of God. Here is the person who argues and says “I have examined all the facts as to the existence of God and I deny them as proving His existence.”

Ps 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

Quote: It is a perfectly acceptable philosophical position to dismiss the god idea as being self-evidently ridiculous.…Christians instantly disregard the Greek gods as being figments of an overactive imagination, and so I view the Christian god in the same way. … I am an atheist because no more evidence supports the Christian god than supports the Greek or Roman gods. There is no evidence that God—as portrayed by any religion—exists. ⁵

Many scientists are atheists. A 1998 study in Nature revealed that, of the membership of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, only 7% of its leading scientist believed in a personal God (in any form) and even fewer in the religious theories of “Creation Science” or “Intelligent Design.”

Absolute atheism is a minority viewpoint both historically and currently. According to a recent (2005) survey, only fourteen percent of the world's population would categorize themselves as nonbelievers in any religion. In many countries, atheism accounts for a very small minority of the populace—perhaps only one or two percent. In other places, like China, unbelievers constitute up to half of the population. But worldwide, believers outnumber unbelievers almost everywhere. ⁶

2. The Providential Atheist. This is the person who simply doubts the existence of God, but firmly denies His providential dealings and the care of God for the things of this world. However, this person in effect denies the being of God for he strips Him of His omnipotence, wisdom, mercy, justice and righteousness. 为什么呢？ Because of their desire to be uncontrolled in their behaviors. This kind of atheist is sometimes called a Deist. He denies God because he wants freedom from any responsibility for his sin. He is like the person who does not want to come to the light because his deeds are evil ( John 3:19-20 ).

3. The Practical Atheist. By this we refer to a secret or partial atheism which is present in the majority of the world. These do not actually deny the being of God, but by their actions and lifestyle, by their evil and neglect of God, or by the denial of certain aspects and rights of His divine and sovereign rule over them, they deny Him and act as though there were no God. Even people who profess to be religious may be practical atheists in their daily living.

Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

If the existence of God makes little or no impact upon the experiences of everyday life, then God may as well not exist.

Agnostic: someone who is not sure whether God exists. He does not know (a + gnosis/knowledge). Thomas Huxley coined the term in 1869 to designate someone who recognized that the great questions of life lay beyond demonstration. “I invented the word 'agnostic' to denote people who, like myself, confess themselves to be hopelessly ignorant concerning a variety of matters, about which metaphysicians and theologians, both orthodox and heterodox, dogmatize with utmost confidence.” Agnostics typically live very secular lives. Atheism is a firmer or more fixed position than agnosticism. Atheists supposedly know beyond doubt that no god exists; agnostics don't know for sure and generally are not interested in the topic.

Further refinement of the term atheism :

• Atheism is protest —a protest against the social and personal injustices often linked with religion and certain of its ideas in the past, which are held to be old fashioned, oppressive, or irrational.

• Atheism is the religion of the autonomous and rational human being, who believes that reason is able to uncover and express the deepest truths of the universe, from the mechanics of the rising of the sun to the nature and final destiny of humanity. There is a single, universal rationality, which human beings are able to identify and uncover through the appropriate use of rational reflection and scientific experimentation. The world can be fully understood and subsequently mastered using human rationality alone. Atheism is perfectly suited to this rational and logical worldview. It was the established religion of modernity. ⁷

• Atheism is a firm and principled commitment to the nonexistence of God, and the liberating impact of this belief. The very idea of God is declared to be outdated, enslaving, and a downright self-contradiction. ⁸

• On an atheistic understanding of things, there are no “ spiritual ” realities save those of our own making, arising from the circumstances of our social location and the secret dreams of our hearts. ⁹ God is a purely man-made concept. No spiritual realities exist outside us. Natural explanations may be given of the origins of belief in God.

• The word atheist can be extrapolated to mean a rejection of all supernatural beings and phenomena that are normally associated with the idea of God. Atheists do not believe in Heaven, Hell, devils, angels, miracles, holy ghosts, or rising from the dead. ¹⁰

• Atheism teaches that man is alone in the universe. Atheism therefore entails naturalism , the belief — as Carl Sagan famously put it, “The cosmos is all there is, all there was, and all there ever will be.” For most atheists, atheism also entails secular humanism , the belief that human beings must determine their own purpose for life and must solve their own problems. For an atheist, the only alternative to some such humanism is nihilism , the belief that life has no purpose or meaning. While nihilism is a reasonable inference from atheism, most atheists resist nihilism and argue for what Antony Flew calls Atheistic Humanism : a positive philosophy of life that embraces life as meaningful despite the lack of any divinely created purpose for the human race. This is the philosophy of the Humanist Manifesto I (1933), the Humanist Manifesto II (1973), and the Secular Humanist Declaration (1980). ¹¹

• Some atheists are not so positive in their assertion that no God exists. Some would define atheism as simply the lack or absence of belief in a God or gods. That is, an atheist does not necessarily deny the existence of a God, but simply has no belief in any particular God. Perhaps God does exist, but an atheist does not believe in him. Those who have never heard of the concept of God may be considered atheists, as are children who are too young to grasp the concept, in their view.

• Atheists may talk about God, but they are speaking metaphorically or symbolically. For example, Einstein famously quipped, “God does not play dice with the universe.” Likewise, Harvard physicist and author Steven Hawking uses the word “God,” but empties the concept of any biblical, theistic meaning. “God” for such people is simply nature or the laws of nature. Any “God talk” from such people should not be taken as an affirmation of biblical theism.

• Atheism is a vast and diverse empire embracing many kingdoms, each with its distinct identity, yet united by a common rejection of any divinities, supernatural powers, or transcendent realities limiting the development and achievements of humanity. Atheism comes in various forms, its spectrum of possibilities extending from a rather mild absence of belief in God or any supernatural beings to a decidedly more strident and rigorous rejection of any religious belief as manipulative, false, and enslaving. Atheism, in its modern sense, has come to mean the explicit denial of all spiritual powers and supernatural beings, or the demand for the elimination of the transcendent as an illusion…. Christianity, like all religions, was held to be deficient. Intellectually, its central ideas were ridiculous and untenable; socially, it was reactionary and oppressive. The time had come to break free of its clutches, once and for all. ¹²

Although atheism is not currently a common point of view in the US, it is an influential one. As Christian influence in the West declines, atheism will no doubt gain ground. Christians should be aware of atheistic arguments and be able to give an answer to them (1 Pet 3:15).

1 Zacharias, 19.

2 Geisler and Turek, 20.

3 Geisler and Turek, 22-23.

4 Keathley.

5 Mills, 28.

6 In the US, 82% claim to be Christian, 2% are Muslim, 12% are unbelievers, and Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and others make up the rest. Worldwide, 33% claim Christianity, 21% claim Islam, 14% claim no religion, 13% are Hindu, 12% claim other religions, and 6% claim Buddhism. The worldwide average is 85.7% who claim some kind of religious belief. National Geographic , Dec 2007, citing the World Christian Database. Around 7% of the US population claims to be atheist—that's about 14 million people.

7 McGrath, 221.

8 McGrath, 175.

9 McGrath, 188.

10 Mills, 26.

11 Boa.

12 McGrath, x.

无神论

内容：

Lesson 1: Introduction and Definitions

Lesson 2: Biblical Data

Lesson 3: History of Atheism

Lesson 4: Claims of Atheism

第5课：基督教无神论响应

第6课：无神论和科学

第7课：无神论与道德

Lesson 8: Further Considerations

The following resources were helpful in preparing this material. Some of the language in the lessons comes directly from these sources. Asterisks mark books that were especially helpful and are recommended reading.

Kenneth Boa, No God at All: Western Humanism and the New Atheism. http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=3858

Francis S. Collins, The Language of God ( New York: Free Press/Simon and Schuster, 2006).

Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion ( Houghton Mifflin, 2006)

*Dinesh D'Souza, What's So Great about Christianity? (Washington DC: Regnery, 2007)

Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist (Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Books, 2004).

J. Hampton Keathley, Evidence For God's Existence http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=216 (accessed Nov 2007).

*Alister McGrath, The Twilight of Atheism (New York: Galille/Double Day, 2006).

*Alister and Joanna McGrath, The Dawkins Delusion? ( Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2007).

David Mills, Atheist Universe (Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press, 2006).

Martin Rees, Just Six Numbers (Basic Books: 2000)

*Ravi Zacharias, The Real Face of Atheism (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2004).

Others as noted

Brad Anderson , 2007-2008.