EMAIL THIS PAGE
PRINT
RSS
Atheism is on the move. At least that’s what Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and other so-called “New Atheists” are fighting for. While atheists have always been around, the pop-cultural influence of atheism has traditionally been rather minimal. Not anymore. In the past few years there has been a resurgence of interest in the case against God. From books to bus campaigns, the question of God’s existence is back in the forefront of public dialogue. And the New Atheists have been leading the charge. Perhaps you are familiar with some of their titles—God Is Not Great (Hitchens), The God Delusion (Dawkins), or The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason (Harris)—books which have appeared consecutively on best-seller lists. And yet the influence of the New Atheists goes well beyond the publishing world. They have engaged in public debates, been interviewed on radio and TV, posted countless videos on YouTube, and spurred a younger generation of agnostics and skeptics. They have misled seekers and unsettled the hearts and minds of many believers—and in particular young believers. Dawkins makes his intentions clear: “If this book works as I intend, religious readers who open it will be atheists when they put it down.”[i] Sadly, many young believers are taking this type of advice to heart and publicly renouncing their faith.[ii] Same Ol’, Same Ol’ Renowned British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge once said that all news is nothing more than new people experiencing old things. Things may appear new, but that hardly means they really are new. So, is there really anything new about the “New Atheists”? Surprisingly, none of the New Atheists have uncovered any fresh scientific, philosophical, or historical truths that undermine Christianity. It’s all old news. In fact, most of their arguments are recycled from older atheists such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Marx, and Sigmund Freud. Ironically, one of the reasons the New Atheists have lashed out so aggressively is because atheism is losing the rational higher ground. In the 1960s it may have seemed acceptable to argue that religious faith is blind. The cover of a 1966 Time magazine story captured the prevailing attitude of the time: “Is God Dead?” Yet, as philosopher William Lane Craig has observed in a cover story for Christianity Today, news of God’s death was premature. In fact, says Craig, “atheism, though perhaps still the dominant viewpoint at the American university, is a philosophy in retreat.”[iii] This trend was powerfully portrayed by the recent conversion of Antony Flew, one of the most influential atheists over the past five decades. In his book Why There Is A God, Flew cites the burgeoning scientific evidence for a divine intelligence as the prime reason for his change of mind. But what is new about the New Atheists is their platform (because of technology and the never ending news cycle) and approach. The New Atheists not only think religion is false; they want to completely eradicate it from public and private life. They want to shame Christians into believing that Christianity has been largely detrimental to society in the past and present. They aim to diminish the influence of Christians by destroying confidence in the legacy of the Christian worldview (thus the subtitle for Hitchens’ book – How Religion Poisons Everything). The New Atheists relish highlighting Christian atrocities such as the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Witch Hunts (you’ll notice an absence of any modern day “Christian” atrocities). Sadly, most of the students we meet have heard of the bad things Christians have done, but few know of the good.
While humility about our legacy is certainly in order, the truth is unmistakable: Christianity has overwhelmingly been a force for good. The good of Christianity far outweighs the bad, just as good ministers outnumber the bad. Christians played an instrumental and formative role in the development of science, the creation of the modern hospital system, the abolition of slavery, and the formation of the modern university. Yet few Christians know this! We must educate students—both Christian and non-Christian—about the positive legacy of Christianity. In my next post, we’ll look at why the new atheism matters. In the meantime, if you want to go deeper in responding to the claims of the new atheists, check out my new book with Jonathan Morrow: “Is God Just a Human Invention?” (Kregel, 2010).
[i] Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2008), 5. [ii] See “The Blasphemy Challenge” at www.blasphemychallenge.com. [iii] William Lane Craig, “God Is Not Dead Yet,” Christianity Today, July 2008, 22. |
Comments
Without question atheists are becoming bolder in their attacks on the individual believer. Part of an emerging phenomina that I've encountered are young believers who have converted to atheism and found great acceptance within those groups. they have what they call "ximonies" about their leaving the faith they once professed, and there are no shortages of atheist websites that have done their homework employing what on the surface seems reasoned and logical attacks on every facet of the Christian faith. If you deal with atheists online, you will have to confront a barrage of 'cut and paste' arguments from those websites.
The irony is that the crop of young Christians today is ill equipped to handle those attacks due in part to the failure of the local church to educate their youth on why Christians believe what they believe. Church youth groups generally simulate social clubs where the emphasis is entertainment or what I call "spiritual candy" which is three steps down from the meat or milk of the Word.
I've often quoted from Josh McDowell's book, Evidence That Demands a Verdictand atheists have even posted links about that book in their attempts to discredit it, (or any other Christian author or website). My advice to young Christians is to realize that you are on the winning side. You can with confidence rely on the Word of God to be an inerrantly firm foundation, though you may not be able to immediately counter the barrage of atheist content that will be sent your way, get back to the Bible and avail yourself of the many Christian resources to help you. Generally, you'll find when you research their claims that their arguments are based on faulty interpretations, outlandish statements and condescending remarks. When you successfully counter their arguments, they will undoubtedly resort to ad-hominem attacks - so be prepared. Finally, here's some advice from the Apostle Paul: "Remind [the people] of these facts and [solemnly] charge them in the presence of the Lord to avoid petty controversy over words, which does no good but upsets and undermines the faith of the hearers.
Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.
But avoid all empty (vain, useless, idle) talk, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness." - 2 Tim. 2:14-16, Amplified New Testament
Part of an emerging phenomina that I've encountered are young believers who have converted to atheism and found great acceptance within those groups
auto scanner
interesting post, thanks for sharing with us, Miniclip
We have to always look things in two perspectives and with the rise of new orders in atheism, we still can't ignore the fact that we should respect whatever their religious decisions and let's just hope and wish that they may find their eternal serenity and peace on the path that they choose to follow. continue reading
Every religion has its good sides and bad sides, no matter if it's Christianity, Islam, Buddhism or whatever belief a person has. Atheism makes no difference, although it's not considered as a religion but as a lack of such. Atheists also believe, but they do not believe in God, Allah, Buddha or whoever... They usually believe that there is some kind of power, call it parallel universe if you wish, that takes some part of our lives. Sounds familiar to religious people, right? However, atheists prefer calling a force or something else instead of cult to a personality.
cleaners Clapham
Atheism has been defined as anything from a lack of belief in God to a total denial of His existence. Whichever the case, atheism is a growing movement that is becoming more aggressive, more demanding, and less tolerant of anything other than itself -- as is exemplified by its aderants. Is it a cogent belief? We from house cleaning Sydney company wonder is it a world-view?
The word atheism comes from the negative a which means ‘no,’ and theos which means ‘god.’ Hence, atheism in the most basic terms means ‘no god.’ Basically, atheism is the lack of belief in a god, and/or the belief that there is no god. By contrast, theism is the belief that there is a God, that he is knowable, and that he is involved in the world. Most atheists do not consider themselves anti-theists, but simply non-theists.
I've encountered many atheists who claim that atheism is not a belief system, while others say it is. Since there is no official atheist organization, nailing down which description of atheism to use can be difficult. Nevertheless, the following are some definitions offered by atheists. As far as we from move out cleaners Sydney company understood, whichever definition you accept, atheism denies God.
cleaners Benthal Green
Successful cleaning of dirty clothes depends on a lot of things. Everything from the source of the grime and stain to the fabric of the garment which is dirty to the cleaning detergent used for washing plays vital part in the successful cleaning of dirty clothes. However, the most important factor for cleaning dirty clothes has to be the laundry detergent you use.
cleaners Brockley
dudfpxy viagra ohne rezept =-] cialis AgYWNu viagra :-O lipitor pil VmRZf propecia BfLldg Cialis :-O
First, let us note the obvious. Not having to commute to long distances everyday is a blessing. The freedom that the freelance employment offers is certainly something you are going to love. Developing strict work habits is a must. You will find it harder to maintain focus. Spring cleaning Sydney, or online salesmen in Sydney, people have to appreciate their job and try to give as much as possible. However, nowadays, this is a huge problem. People try to work as little as possible.
First, let us note the obvious. Not having to commute to long distances everyday is a blessing. The freedom that the freelance employment offers is certainly something you are going to love. Developing strict work habits is a must. You will find it harder to maintain focus. Spring cleaning Sydney, or online salesmen in Sydney, people have to appreciate their job and try to give as much as possible. However, nowadays, this is a huge problem. People try to work as little as possible.