I don’t have enough energy or money to waste any of it trying to convince other people not to believe in things I don’t think exist. Unicorns, leprechauns, Bigfoot, whatever.
That’s why it’s hard for me to understand why some atheists are so rabidly determined to convince us that God is a myth. If He’s a myth, why do so many who deny His existence seem so neurotically fixated on Him?
Atheistic knickers seem to get especially twisted during the Christmas season.
For the last four years, in fact, a group called American Atheists has spent many thousands of dollars putting up anti-God billboards during the month of December. This year’s billboard message reads, “Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is to skip church! I’m too old for fairy tales.”
The signs are currently up in several large cities in the South and Midwest, regions of the nation where the organization says “in-the-closet atheists” feel extra pressure to observe religious traditions during the holidays.
ISIS is on a deadly rampage in the Middle East, a crazy man in North Korea controls nuclear weapons, our own country often seems to be going you-know-where in a hand basket … and the American Atheists are consumed with convincing others to stop going to church to worship a God they say is a myth?
Something about that seems nuts to me. Seems like a truly confident atheist wouldn’t really care whether I believed or not, just like I don’t care if you believe there are dead aliens stored in an Area 51 fridge.
Seems like a truly confident atheist would just happily disbelieve in God and be grateful that my faith causes me to act in ways that are better for everyone in my world, which is most certainly the case. If my “myth” is good for me and everyone around me, why would anyone want to convince me to stop believing it?
Unless, of course, the American Atheists misunderstand my faith, as well the character and commands of the God I believe in, which is what I suspect.
My God—the God of the Bible—is the One who says, “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.”(Luke 6:35)
Anyone want to tell me how believing in this God could be bad for society?
Yes, many bad things are done in the name of religion. I get that. But judging the Christian God by the failings of sinful, weak, selfish humans is a foolish mistake with eternally tragic consequences.
No one should write off God until they’ve taken their gaze off His followers for a moment and thoroughly, honestly looked at Him. How? By looking at Jesus Christ, the one Scripture calls the “exact representation” of God’s nature. (Hebrews 1:3)
I confess I get ticked when folks attack my God. When they put up billboards to mock the One who rescued me from darkness and is the source of every good thing in my life, I want to fire back … which only goes to show how far I have to grow.
God loves those atheists. And He’s not wringing His hands over those silly billboards.
Even to those who sneer and shake their fists at Him, this merciful, gracious God simply says, “Come now, and let us reason together … Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow … .”
My imperfect life may provide fodder for the mocking atheists, but the perfect life of Jesus, so full of grace and truth, must drive them crazy. Crazy enough to buy billboards at Christmas.