Militant ATHEISM versus JESUS CHRIST

"That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us: For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring" (Acts 17:27, 28).

Having realized abundant blessings as a result of the manifold grace of God and the influence of and fair degree of obedience to His principals and precepts¹ (as well as harm due to the neglect of them), the western world has largely forsaken the most critical aspect of it's foundation, and “changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever” (Rm. 1:25). As Abraham Lincoln once said, in the face of a far less degree of spiritual declension, “we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!”

Man without the living and true God is spiritually dead, and makes gods out of created things, which unlike the living and true God, will ultimately fail him. Presently, with the realization of increasing loss of security and discontent, another “faith” is arising which promotes itself as the answer in contrast to (it's portrayal of) religion.

An atheistic trinity of writers, Richard Dawkins, Samuel Harris, and Christopher Hitchens (deceased, now in Hell if he died unrepentant) had recently enjoyed much success in evangelizing dangerous “militant atheism. It is in response to which and it's predominate claims that this page is written.

1. Atheism claims to be different than “religion, which requires faith, but atheism itself is a belief system, the main tenet of which (denial of God) is something they cannot prove. Atheists assert that there is no Creator/Designer, thus all matter came from nothing, or was (somehow) pre-existent, and developed and arranged itself without any Designer (thus time, matter and chance become like gods). Yet the fact of an exceedingly complex and orderly universe (in which disorder is manifest an aberration) manifests design, from simplicity to complexity (with God being outside the created order); the origins and arrangement of which is not explained by the powers attributed to it by atheistic evolutionists. Ultimately, atheistic evolution appeals to them because they are in rebellion against their Creator, and want no moral authority over themselves, unless he operates out of the same objectively baseless system they prefer.

In contrast, the Bible is an immutable and proven source of truth and morality, and of liberty with it's necessary limits — if it is obeyed as stated. And thus the history of the New Testament. church was not that of any physical wars but of sincere worship, preaching and healing the sick, feeding the poor, and caring for the dying, and hard work in civil and eternal affairs.

2. Atheism denies the unique sense of God that man is born with (worship is an activity peculiar to man), thus history evidences that atheism lends itself to worship (whatever you live for is your god), not only of one's self, but also other earthly authorities, to their own hurt and that of others.

In contrast, those who are truly born again and are faithful followers of Christ do not place implicit faith in men (Ps. 118:18, 19), but follow them insofar as they lead in accordance with with the word of God (thus otherwise good men are imprisoned by atheistic governments when they do not bow down to the State “religion”).

3. Militant atheism usually broad-brushes all religions together as oppressive and violent (militant Islam is thus their polemical best friend), while ignoring atheism's potential to do likewise or worse, and overall it feeds on and produces unhealthy discontent.

4. Militant atheism further demonstrates that it is like what it condemns by it's increasingly dogmatic declarations, religious fervor, and communistic-type desire to control children's minds. Many atheists today support prohibiting the teaching of religion to children, and even removing children from Christian/creationists homes. Instead, they effectively support making atheistic secularism the State sanctioned religion (which it largely has become) ― all in the name of separation of Church and State. Militant atheism's Communistic-type propaganda is evident in books by the three aforementioned authors, in which they slander a category of people in seeking to incite class hatred, indiscriminately equating evangelical Christianity together with militant Islam as threats to world peace, and without warrant, exalting themselves as man's savior.

The currently famous atheist author Harris calls for forcing all religious “witch doctors out of our lives before they explode the bomb,” yet the history of atheism is most manifest as that of violent suppression and brain washing. And in stark contrast to such charges, no one was ever the object of physical force by a true Christian in seeking to evangelize or defend the faith, when acting consistent with the doctrine of the New Testament. For in contrast to such religions as Islam and atheism, Biblical Christianity seeks not a physical kingdom, but we who truly believe are part of a spiritual one, and thus “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,” but spiritual, as we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but .. against spiritual wickedness” (Eph. 6:12).

The Inquisitions and Crusades which militant atheists often invoke in their propaganda, required and promoted ignorance of the Bible, as Roman Catholicism very clearly acted contrary to it, and those who loved the Bible were also subjects of her unBiblical ethos and actions.

That form of Christianity more formally came about after the 4^th century church (which had already somewhat deviated from Biblical doctrine) stood as the primary stable institution in western Europe as the the Roman Empire dissolved, and the Roman church yielded to the temptation to unBiblically take on much of the form and means of the Empire, replete with a Caesario-papacy, and the use of it's carnal means to fight it's battles.

5. As atheism has no transcendent objective authority for morality, they essentially appeal to Biblical or otherwise religious morality in seeking to present themselves as morally superior, while logic and history warrant just the opposite assurance that they will be so when in control. In contrast, the result of true surrender to Christ in repentance and faith is overall that of life and peace and good will toward others, and beneficial productivity.

6. Lacking any transcendent objective authoritative code of morals (unless one considers Darwin's “Origin..,” to be such), atheism operates out of an objectively baseless morality, and can only assure us it will do what is “reasonable” to them, in contrast to such as go by the Bible. Atheists also typically insist that social Darwinist Hitler was a Christian (contrary to Biblical Christianity, and Hitler, like atheism, had plans to eliminate Christianity in any form), while vehemently protesting against atheism being linked to men like Stalin. Yet the fact is mass murderers like Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot and multitude more were in-deed acting out of atheism's basis for morality (or lack thereof), doing what was pragmatically “reasonable” to them in slaying and subjugating their multitudes.'

How soon we forget. The Stalinist Purges produced 61 million dead and Mao's Cultural Revolution saw 70 million casualties, while Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge killed up to 6 million with the support of atheistic China. These casualties were just those of their own people! Atheist Lenin saw the massive Russian famine as a good thing, as he felt it would help eliminate the people's faith in God.

Thus organized militant atheism has a bloody legacy that is recently worse than even false formal religions (though modern weapons helped). If false religion was the opiate of the people, atheism was their poison.

Atheism even desperately attempts to attribute Stalin's atrocities to his upbringing as a Orthodox Russian Catholic, or his and fellow atheist's crimes on “political religion.” But Stalin was not acting out his primitive faith (if he even possessed it), much less Biblical Christian faith, nor was political religion the real cause of their slaughter and oppression. Rather, Stalin and the aforementioned national atheistic murderers were acting out of the “morality” atheism allows, and which easily fosters it's instrumental political religion, which encouraged and enabled them to whatsoever seemed right in their own eyes (contra,. Dt. 12:8). As Dostoevsky stated: ”If God is dead, then all things are possible!”

7. Atheism has not built countries in which beneficial western ideals of fairly elected officials, small government, freedom of speech and address of government, private enterprise, and capitalistic economy were foundational, nor is atheism naturally widespread in countries unless imposed by atheistic governments (and which government typically wage war against the above ideals). Rather, atheism ideally builds upon a foundation that has benefited by Christian influence, but has drifted from it (or realized corrupt forms of it), and then it works to create Communistic-type propaganda, then to supplant and suppress Christian morality and teaching, thus effectively or formally making it's ethos the mandatory State religion.

Many atheists also have notably stood out as anarchists, which is not surprising, as both Communism and anarchism are both driven by a rebellious spirit and lust for power (Prv. 28:2), which resents authority, but can easily justify forcibly subjugating others.

In contrast, Biblical Christianity works to brings souls to be controlled from within, by the Spirit of Christ and (or at least) an unselfish moral conscience, so that they need not be controlled from without, thereby enabling small government

Moreover Biblical Christianity supports free enterprise¹, diligent work (Prv. 22:29; 31:10-31), investigation and wisdom (Prv. 15:28), and democratic practice (Acts 6:3). As well as the principal of separation of church and State (Mt. 22:21; 1Cor. 5:12), which Christian Roger Williams (founder of R.I.) first instituted in America. It also clearly requires diligent obedience to civil rulers (Rm. 13; 1Pet. 2:13, 14), unless clear moral comprise is required. In addition, it promotes learning and effects more philanthropy than any other belief system,

All told, Biblical Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, but overall has been found wanting to be tried. In contrast, atheism is shown to be simply another false religion, and a dangerous one. This is not to say that atheists cannot be overall good people, and even better than many formal religionists, for God has given an innate sense of right and wrong to all, and insofar as a person, nation, or religion obeys the “light” they have from God, the better off they and others are.

But while other religions usually possess an objective, codified authority (a type of “holy”book) which generally guides or constrains them on them in how they will act, in atheism all one ultimately has to go by is their own sense of right and wrong as seems reasonable to them. And as history abundantly illustrates, what seems reasonable to atheism can easily be what they see as practical to achieving their ideals, with means that are cruelly suppressive, manipulative, injurious and destructive to those who oppose them.

Yet as atheism charges, this is often indeed what theistic religion also does — though some more than others — with the exception of one. And that is Biblical Christianity. An examination of the faith and practice of the early church in the Bible reveals none of the above objections, rather we see a community of believers who used neither violence nor carnal coercion to gain followers, but "By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left" (2 Cor 6:6-7), and “mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God” (Rm. 15:19), so “believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women” (Acts 5:14). Such believers, from all occupations, were persecuted (and even called atheists) because they would not worship Caesar as the State religion mandated.

The first believers were all Jewish, who saw in Christ the leader who was prophesied in the Bible over 700 years previous, that would be born in the non-nondescript town of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). And of whom the prophet Isaiah foretold would be “wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Is. 5:5, 6). And who “showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3).

No other person ever born except Christ (the existence of whom is also testified to by non-Christian historians such as Josephus) has fulfilled so many prophecies, nor is there any who lived sinlessly and so selflessly, then died for our sins and rose victoriously, and who can provide forgiveness of sins and eternal life to those who trust Him. And whose reality is evidenced by abundant and ongoing positive empirical proofs. Which is that ALL those who genuinely turn in their hearts to the LORD Jesus from sin, and cast all their faith in Him who gave Himself for them (and not in one's own merit or that of a church, etc.), realize effects that correspond to the claims of Object of their faith, and are contingent upon obedience to Him. A careful study of solid believers, of their lives the day and years before their day of salvation and those after it, will reveal such changes in heart and life, initially and on going, that are overall unique among religion in means and scope, and ultimately defy naturalist explanations.

In Matthew 27:22 we read how Pontius Pilate asked the base multitude before him the eternal question, “What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? Their response was “Let him be crucified” — to their own damnation. What you do with Jesus Christ reveals what you ultimately love, and determines where you will spend eternity. All have sinned, misusing the good things and breaking the good laws God has given us, and no sin can enter into God's holy and blessed heaven, and those who love sin over Christ shall spend eternity tormented in a place just the opposite of Heaven! We pray that you would not sin away your day of grace, but humble yourself as a sinner before God, and turn from sin to Christ, asking Him to save you. And which decision is shown by being baptized and following Him who alone can promise, “I will never leave thee nor forsake the. To God be the glory!

For more on this see here

To download a (2007) version of this in tract form, click here

For home page and contact info, see www.peacebyjesus.org

1http://www.garynorth.com/public/department57.cfm

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