There’s no such thing as an Atheist.
By David Prentice, M.Ed., M.A.S.T.
There’s no such thing as an atheist. Oh, I know some claim to be, but they’re not being honest with themselves. Do I have your attention? Good! Let me tell you what this is all about. This is the first in a series of articles on the subject of creation vs. evolution. My basic premise is that the Genesis account of creation is true. Throughout the series I will attempt to back up that belief with scientific fact as well as philosophical arguments.
If you believe in evolution, that probably amuses you. You may be saying to yourself, “Nobody believes that stuff anymore!” Well, a few years ago I thought the same thing. I believed in “theistic evolution,” that is, that God used evolution to create. If that’s your belief, don’t feel too smug. There are people laughing at you too. Atheists scoff at creation because it requires a Creator, but they scoff just as much at theistic evolution because it too depends on the existence of God. Atheists claim that they are the only true scientists because anything that requires supernatural intervention can’t possibly be scientific.
Is atheism really good science? Let’s pretend you’re an atheist. Tell me why you don’t believe in God.
“I don’t believe in something I can’t see.”
You’re right, God can’t be directly observed, but can only be detected through what He does. He is invisible.
I’m sure that’s not your only objection to belief in God. Let me point out some of the others.
– If God set the laws of nature into effect, then He is not subject to those laws. He is above nature, or supernatural.
“Right. I don’t believe in supernatural things either.”
– God has existed since before the universe began; He is eternal.
– Where is God? He is everywhere, or omnipresent.
– If God created the universe, he directly intervened in nature at least once. He usually doesn’t, though. If I drop a pen He doesn’t grab it and force it to the ground. However, he is indirectly responsible for its fall because He set up the laws of gravity. Thus, He is either directly or indirectly responsible for everything that has ever happened in the physical universe. That is, He is omnipotent.
– Finally, who made God? Nobody. He is self-existent.
So, my atheist friend, you scoff at belief in God because of six characteristics: invisible, supernatural, eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, and self-existent. Let me ask you, then: how did the universe get here?
“It just happened.”
Think about what that means. You’re saying that there was a series of forces, processes, and events operating without any particular purpose over billions of years. Let’s use the term “Random Chance” to summarize the whole series. Here’s my first question for you: What does Random Chance look like?
“What are you talking about? You can’t see random chance!”
Interesting! You believe in something you can’t see. Random chance can only be detected by what it does. It is invisible.
Let’s think about some other characteristics of your series of forces, processes, and events known as Random Chance.
– Suppose random chance set the laws of nature into effect. Then it is not subject to those laws; it is above nature, or supernatural.
“Gulp…”
– If the universe is the result of random chance, then random chance has been here since before the universe began. It is eternal.
– Now, tell me: where is random chance found?
“Everywhere.”
Oh, you mean it’s omnipresent.
– Next: even if Random Chance is directly responsible for only some things, it is indirectly responsible for everything else. If I drop a pen Random Chance doesn’t grab it and force it to the ground. However, it is indirectly responsible because it set up the laws of gravity. Since it is either directly or indirectly responsible for everything in the universe, it is omnipotent.
– One last question. Who made Random Chance? Nobody. It is self-existent.
So, dear atheist, you don’t believe in God because He has six unscientific characteristics: invisible, supernatural, eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, and self-existent. Yet you believe in Random Chance which has exactly the same characteristics: invisible, supernatural, eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, and self-existent. No, my friend, you have no scientific advantage over me. I worship the God of the Bible, but you worship a god known as Random Chance. There is no possibility that God does NOT exist, whether a personal being as revealed in the Bible or a series of impersonal forces as you rely on.
Can I prove the existence of the personal God I believe in? No. Can you prove the existence of Random Chance? No. We both take a step of faith. So what’s the difference?
– If I’m right I have the potential to go to an eternal heaven.
– If I’m wrong I’ll never know it, because I will live a happy life expecting to meet my Savior. I just won’t wake up as I expected to.
– If you’re right nothing matters anyway.
– What if you’re wrong? As the philosopher Pascal once said, “If I say there is not a God and there is a God, God help me.”
With my step of faith I can’t lose, even if I’m wrong. With your step of faith you can’t win, even if you’re right. So which step of faith makes more sense?
Of course, if you’re taking the time to read this, you probably aren’t an atheist like our imaginary friend. But the next time you encounter someone who claims to be, you can do him a great service by showing him that he, too, has a god. Perhaps you will get him started on his way to the real God. At any rate, whether we believe in creation or theistic evolution, the atheist has no scientific advantage over us.
But how about the controversy between creation and evolution? Couldn’t God have used evolution to create? We’ll begin to deal with that question in the next article.