Atheism and agnosticism

This is not a joke. Seriously. Did you check it out? Did you know that 7% of Americans claim to atheist and/or agnostic. That means that they outnumber Mormons 3/1; Jews 4/1; and Muslims 14/1. They represent a huge segment of the population, we may even know someone who is one, but how prepared are we to engage with them and influence them towards a relationship with Christ.

First, a language lesson. An atheist doesn't believe that God exists. Atheist means 'no god'. An agnostic doesn't believe that God can be known. Agnostic means 'no knowledge'. The 'a' in front of the word means 'no'. Like an amusement park. Muse means 'think' which is why you pay $12 for a burger.

1. Atheism could be considered a religion. It's world view that is adhered to by millions. So it could be considered a religion. a religion that doesn't believe in God. Crazy!

2. Atheists use a couple of arguments to support their belief that God doesn't exists. Here's a rundown:

a. Evil exists. How can there be a good God if evil exists?

b. Apparent purposelessness of life. If God exists, how can life be so meaningless?

c. Random occurrences in the universe. If God exists, how can life be random?

d. First Law of Thermodynamics - "energy can neither be created nor destroyed"

How can you respond to that? These are hard questions, that everyone deals with.

a. As Christians, we know that evil exists because of sin.

b. Just because life seems meaningless, doesn't mean that it is. Christ gives us purpose.

c. Stuff that seems random isn't actually random. Like DNA. People used to think that it was random, but now they are sequencing it.

d. The first Law of Thermodynamics - "energy can neither be created nor destroyed" is not what it says. It is actually says that the amount of actual energy in the universe remains constant. Science makes no claims on what 'can' or 'cannot be' only on what is observed. As it is, the amount of usable energy is our universe is winding down, (entropy) and eventually our sun will burn out and we will all freeze to death. Yay science!

So that is pretty much it. I did want to add a short little video, where Ben Stein is interviewing Richard Dawkins, who is a best selling author and astrophysicist. He's also a huge proponent of atheism. As you watch it, keep in mind Psalm 10:4 " In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God."