I HAD rather believe all the fables in the Legend, and the Talmud, and the Alcoran, than that this universal frame is without a mind. And therefore, God never wrought miracle, to convince atheism, because his ordinary works convince it. It is true, that a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion. For while the mind of man looketh upon second causes scattered, it may sometimes rest in them, and go no further; but when it beholdeth the chain of them, confederate and linked together, it must needs fly to Providence and Deity. Nay, even that school which is most accused of atheism doth most demonstrate religion; that is, the school of Leucippus and Democritus and Epicurus. For it is a thousand times more credible, that four mutable elements, and one immutable fifth essence, duly and eternally placed, need no God, than that an army of infinite small portions, or seeds unplaced, should have produced this order and beauty, without a divine marshal. The Scripture saith, The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God; it is not said, The fool hath thought in his heart; so as he rather saith it, by rote to himself, as that he would have, than that he can thoroughly believe it, or be persuaded of it. For none deny, there is a God, but those, for whom it maketh that there were no God. It appeareth in nothing more, that atheism is rather in the lip, than in the heart of man, than by this; that atheists will ever be talking of that their opinion, as if they fainted in it, within themselves, and would be glad to be strengthened, by the consent of others. Nay more, you shall have atheists strive to get disciples, as it fareth with other sects. And, which is most of all, you shall have of them, that will suffer for atheism, and not recant; whereas if they did truly think, that there were no such thing as God, why should they trouble themselves? Epicurus is charged, that he did but dissemble for his credit’s sake, when he affirmed there were blessed natures, but such as enjoyed themselves, without having respect to the government of the world. Wherein they say he did temporize; though in secret, he thought there was no God. But certainly he is traduced; for his words are noble and divine: Non deos vulgi negare profanum; sed vulgi opiniones diis applicare profanum. Plato could have said no more. And although he had the confidence, to deny the administration, he had not the power, to deny the nature. The Indians of the West, have names for their particular gods, though they have no name for God: as if the heathens should have had the names Jupiter, Apollo, Mars, etc., but not the word Deus; which shows that even those barbarous people have the notion, though they have not the latitude and extent of it. So that against atheists, the very savages take part, with the very subtlest philosophers. The contemplative atheist is rare: a Diagoras, a Bion, a Lucian perhaps, and some others; and yet they seem to be more than they are; for that all that impugn a received religion, or superstition, are by the adverse part branded with the name of atheists. But the great atheists, indeed are hypocrites; which are ever handling holy things, but without feeling; so as they must needs be cauterized in the end. The causes of atheism are: divisions in religion, if they be many; for any one main division, addeth zeal to both sides; but many divisions introduce atheism. Another is, scandal of priests; when it is come to that which St. Bernard saith, non est jam dicere, ut populus sic sacerdos; quia nec sic populus ut sacerdos. A third is, custom of profane scoffing in holy matters; which doth, by little and little, deface the reverence of religion. And lastly, learned times, specially with peace and prosperity; for troubles and adversities do more bow men’s minds to religion. They that deny a God, destroy man’s nobility; for certainly man is of kin to the beasts, by his body; and, if he be not of kin to God, by his spirit, he is a base and ignoble creature. It destroys likewise magnanimity, and the raising of human nature; for take an example of a dog, and mark what a generosity and courage he will put on, when he finds himself maintained by a man; who to him is instead of a God, or melior natura; which courage is manifestly such, as that creature, without that confidence of a better nature than his own, could never attain. So man, when he resteth and assureth himself, upon divine protection and favor, gathered a force and faith, which human nature in itself could not obtain. Therefore, as atheism is in all respects hateful, so in this, that it depriveth human nature of the means to exalt itself, above human frailty.
Sir Francis Bacon, Of Atheism (1601)
The Babylon Bee supplies us with some atheist arguments:
Hey, there, Christian — you believe in a magic sky daddy. What a dummy! We’re about to melt your mind with these ten irrefutable arguments against Christianity. Better go buy a fedora, because you’re about to become an atheist.
1. If God’s real, why do dinosaurs go roar? Fossils exist. Dinosaurs go roar. You can’t explain that.
2. How come your so-called “god” doesn’t believe the exact same things I do? If I were God, I would do things differently from how your invisible magic friend sky wizard guy is doing things. Therefore, he does not exist.
3. If God is all-good and all-powerful, why is He allowing James Cameron to make a bunch of Avatar sequels? If he’s powerful enough to stop Avatar 2-6 from being made but refuses, then he cannot be all-good. If he wants to stop them but can’t, then he cannot be all-powerful.
4. The resurrection of Jesus is clearly a rip-off of Gandalf’s return in The Two Towers. The gospel writers clearly watched Peter Jackson’s trilogy a bunch of times before coming up with the resurrection of Jesus. The parallels are so obvious. And yet, dumb Christians continue to believe it.
5. Joint Taco Bell-Pizza Hut locations exist in the U.S., yet God is silent. If God wanted to, he could wipe these out right now, so he obviously does not care about justice.
6. Every Christian character I’ve ever seen in the movies is a real jerk. Look, I don’t know any Christians personally. But if I did, I’m sure they’d be as mean as they are on Netflix shows and in Hollywood movies. They’re real bigots every time they appear onscreen.
7. Can God make Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson so big he can’t lift him? Game. Set. Match.
8. I went to church when I was little and it was boring. I mean, I only went like one time on Easter when we were staying with Aunt Edna. But it was really boring. And the Goldfish crackers were stale. Where’s your supposed “god” now, fundie?
9. Flying Spaghetti Monster. Boom. Roasted.
Go here to read the rest.
Atheists do not know what they are missing: the very point of life. We must pray that someday they do.
I dunno Don… can the Avatar sequels be stopped? Or is this the tribulation we were warned about in Revelation?
When I was in college many moons ago, for a class called “God in Modern Thought” (taught by an ex-priest from Northern Ireland), I did a research paper on the Marxist argument for atheism. A little puzzled by what I found in Marx and Engels (astonishingly brief, puerile and vapid for something their whole system was based on), i took the draft to the professor and asked: “Is that all there is to it?”
He grinned and responded: “Yes, it is.”
I later read Fulton Sheen talk of the atheism of a “college sophomore who has read three chapters of a biology book”.