There are important questions that all of us should think about:
1. Where did I come from?
2. Who am I?
3. What should I be doing?
4. Where am I going?
The Christian answers:
1. From God ("So God created man in His image..." Genesis 1.27-28)
2. God's child ("See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God..." 1 John 3.1)
3. Loving God and my neighbor ("Love the Lord Your God... and your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22.37 &39)
4. To be with God eternally ("For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." John 6.40)
The Atheist answers:
1. An accident of nature.
2. What I do... an engineer, teacher, mother, etc.
3. What pleases me.
4. To nothing.
The Atheist considers the Christian answers nothing more than imaginative constructions to give him a sense of meaning and hope. But the Atheist denies God so that he can imagine the universe to be God. There are no absolute morals, only molecules. For this reason the Atheist lives in the middle, lives for the moment, does what is pleasing for now.
Those choices are all arbitrary. Ultimately everything becomes a mechanical, mindless process of evolution. And if that is so, why care about poverty? Why care about the environment? Why care who lives or dies? Why? Does the sodium ion argue with the chloride ion about becoming salt?
The philosophical black hole of atheism is to deny the spirit in nature. In the Nicene Creed we confess: "I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth AND of all things visible and invisible." God created us with a spirit, and it is through the spirit that we are able to believe in God.
2 comments:
why care about poverty? Why care about the environment? Why care who lives or dies? Why?
Because morality was most likely bred into us by evolution. We survive most effectively in groups, so treating each other with respect, not killing each other randomly, protecting the ones in our group who cannot take care of themselves became traits that facilitated survival.
Really, considering we have Rep. John Shimkus, a fundamentalist Christian who is vying for the job of head of the House Energy and Commerce Committee saying that climate problems are not worrisome because of what the Bible says, do you really think theists can claim the moral high ground on that issue?
I don't care if you wish to believe in a god or many gods, but it would be peachy if you could do so without attempting to belittle those who think differently. It does not speak terribly highly of your beliefs if you feel the need to tear others down to feel superior.
I'm not trying to belittle anyone's beliefs. But I am trying to show where they lead in the hope that they might see that there is more to this world. I think my question is still valid. Why? Why even care about survival if this world is nothing more than a mindless, mechanical process of evolution?
I'm glad you do care about poverty and the environment. If you can direct me to that statement by Rep. Shimkus, I would appreciate it. I would like to talk to him about it.
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