THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF ATHEISM

THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF ATHEISM

( A Sermon Synopsis by The Rev. Ernest R. D. Smart)

Scriptural references: Psalm 8 and 1 Corinthians 13

St. Andrew’s Christian Community, Sunday, September 23, 2007

INTRODUCTION

1. America is such a fashionable society. One of the fads today in the world of literature is “Attacking God”, even attacking (His?) existence. One such volume is god is not Great. How Religion Poisons Everything. My immediate reaction to such reading was that the author, Christopher Hitchens, is very intelligent and very readable. But when it comes to attacking religion and what religion has done to humanity over the centuries, I could also have written such a book

2. What is an atheist? He/she is someone who does not, cannot or will not believe in the existence of God as Creator. It is not difficult to move towards atheism. Down through history, some people refuse to be accountable to any system of rules or morality that suggests a higher or external source. Conscience therefore can be ignored. Others argue that science can explain everything and that God is irrelevant. Others point towards the immense suffering in the world and cannot comprehend a God who would permit wars, disease, earthquakes, the holocaust, and especially the cruelty directed towards entirely innocent people.

3. May we make a comparison with the world of politics? We do not and cannot live in any society without being affected by political decisions, especially in a democracy such as ours. Yes, there is good politics and there is bad politics. In much the same way there is good religion and there is bad religion.

Bad religion has been responsible for dreadful pain and suffering. But there is good religion in the reckoning. Look at the number of schools, colleges, and hospitals, for example, which have been inspired and established by strong and committed Christians. The truth is that each of us has been endowed with a capacity for faith in God. We are free to ignore it and deny the evidence.

We cannot ignore either the evidence in Scripture. Who are we as a species? The writer of Psalm 8 sees our potential and strives to give us honor and dignity and purpose by making us “a little lower than the angels.” Then how does an atheist reckon with the most powerful description of the gift of love?

Concepts such as love, trust, hope, friendship, caring, respect, self-sacrifice and even humor, go to the very heart of our humanity. They are spiritual entities, not intellectual or physical. They introduce us to a sense of the presence of God every day. Life’s experiences are therefore not a matter of will. People get married, for example, not on the basis of arguments but on a determined desire to build a happy, meaningful and fruitful relationship. So it is with our understanding of God. GOD made US. Atheists prefer to state that we made God. How does an atheist account for all the Churches and Cathedrals around the world? Are we all just a collection of superstitious simpletons? Or are well-meaning atheists displaying a high degree of arrogance?

4. History abounds with examples of brilliant people who have attacked the very idea of God. We have many Greek philosophers, to more familiar names such as David Hume, Albert Camus, and Karl Marx who coined the phrase “Religion is the opiate of the people.” Frankly there was much “bad religion” in his day to support his atheism. But almost everything about the atheistic approach to life is negative. They love to dig holes in other peoples’ faiths but have nothing with which to replace such holes. How can anyone survive on constant negativity? Attempts can only bring misery and despair. And that’s NOT for me.

5. Every human being has been born with a capacity for the spiritual, even atheists. While we may feed and fill ourselves physically and intellectually, where do we get the food for our inner beings, our souls, our personalities - whatever? The fact that many main line denominations have not been “feeding” their people has driven many to seek alternative and sometimes new age or even occult worship experiences. On the other hand, many independent churches are totally committed to feeding people with hope, peace, grace, joy, caring and all the other wonderful blessings of a Christian life, the fruits of a relationship with the ever present Jesus Christ.

6. In conclusion, no child is ever born an atheist. We have been born to be children of God. We are often rebellious children, self-centered and self-serving children. But we are ALL children of God for all that, and God loves each one of us as if there were none other to love. How do we return such love to God?