Stories abound about confrontations between Christians and unbelievers. The most common setting for these accounts is the university campus. Usually, an atheist professor is presented as taunting young believers in class. That scenario of young learners and authoritarian instructors conjures up deep emotions among the saints.
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No doubt, some of those stories are true; but I suspect many of them are fiction, products of fearful faithful who want desperately for the young generation to remain true. I must confess that in all of my twelve plus years of school beyond high school, I never encountered an atheist professor or instructor. I did, however, sit under some tutors whose ideas provoked conservative people.
On the other hand, I have met several persons who boasted unbelief. One such person was a coworker in a department store where I worked in my seminary days. My wife and I invited him and his sister out for dinner. The conversations of the evening led me to believe he was more believer than he wanted to admit.
Recent revelations about decline in church affiliation, abandonment of time-honored Christian principles, and the new generation’s search for different styles of living has given rise to anxiety. Long ago, Karl Marx espoused, “Religion is the opiate of the people.” Then, the Soviet Union endured three generations of radical anti-religion.
Christian history records many highs and lows; perhaps we are experiencing one of the lows now. Lack of faith certainly fits the modern lifestyle. People today want to do anything and everything; and they want it without moral consequences. Unbelief certainly accommodates that kind of life. If there is no God, then there is no genuine right or wrong; and I am free to do whatever I want and am able to do. Simply stated, unbelief is convenient.
You may be surprised to know the Bible never presents an argument for the existence of God. Apparently, the Bible assumes God’s reality is so obvious there is no need to argue for it. The nearest the Bible comes to arguing for God’s existence is in Psalm 14:1, “The fool has said in his heart there is no God.” Since one should never argue with a fool, the Bible simply moves on with truth.
Perhaps you are discouraged and doubting and tempted to abandon your faith. I certainly would not be as direct as the Bible and call you a fool; but I will say, “That would be foolish!”
You can email Bro. Paris at [email protected].