I recently published an article highlighting some short Bible verses that hold tremendous meaning. For a couple of weeks, I promoted that post on Facebook. The article was well received, generating over 1.3k likes. But of course, as Facebook goes there are always dissenters. I had some fairly interesting comments posted on my page from people asserting that there is no God.
I don’t mind. I’m used to that kind of stuff.
I’ve always been fascinated by people who claim there is no God. Questioning whether there is a God is one thing. At least that person is thinking it through. But to deny the possibility altogether seems unimaginative.
I had a professor in grad school who fit this description. He thought we Christians in the class were shallow and narrow-minded. He scoffed at our belief that there is one God who oversees the entire universe. To him, we needed to open our minds and embrace other philosophical and scientific realities.
I always found that ironic. He chastised our singular vision and wanted us to be more open. Yet he himself was never open to the possibility that we might be right.
Which brings me to ask this question to anyone reading this right now:
Can you truly say there is no God who oversees the world and has an interest in all our lives?
What if – shocking as it may sound – it’s all true?
I’m sure your initial reaction will be to rattle off some explanations as to why there is no God. But can you really afford not to at least think about it? It seems shortsighted to not at least do some reading and give it some consideration.
Are you really going to take the risk of not investigating it at all?
You might want to think twice about ignoring the possibility because there are some serious ramifications for your life if God really does exist.
What Changes If There is a God?
I believe there is one God and that his past and future legacies are revealed to us in the Bible. As I see it, there are multiple things that change for you personally if there is one, all-powerful God in this world:
1. There is the possibility to know Him
A God who created the world would leave markers for us to know Him. These signs would appear and be seen through the things he created (i.e. nature, mankind, the spoken and written word, etc.). We may not understand him fully. However, we could learn enough to understand bits and pieces of his nature and character and what he desires for us.
I could get on on board with a God I could know. And even more so with one who cared enough to want to have a relationship with me. If that God exists, then sign me up.
2. There are standards of right and wrong
If there is no God, then there are no moral absolutes. We could pretty much do anything that feels right and walk away with a clean conscience. What’s right or wrong for you may not be right or wrong for me. And that’s OK. We will all just do what is right in our own eyes.
Bring God into the mix and it alters the equation. One would assume that God would have a moral code to govern his own actions. This code would be passed down to his creation who in turn would govern themselves by it. In essence, standards of right and wrong would be created that all would follow.
And those standards would not shift or change based on people’s opinions or societal evolution. Murder, for example, would be as wrong today as it was in the first 100 years of human history. The standards wouldn’t change because the God from which they originated does not change.
3. There is accountability
If there are standards of right and wrong and specific moral absolutes, then there is accountability for our actions. We have to answer to someone for what we do.
We have institutions in this world to keep us accountable for our actions. For example, the parent-child relationship, local law enforcement and the courts are all established to guide behavior and render judgment when necessary.
But accountability wouldn’t stop in the here and now. If God exists, then we’d ultimately be accountable to him. When might that happen? Most likely in the afterlife.
4. There is an afterlife
Those who say there is no God reject the idea of an afterlife. To them this life is all there is. So eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die, or so goes the mantra.
But if God exists, then the possibility that there is an afterlife increases exponentially. God has to exist in a reality somewhere. An afterlife would undoubtedly take us to the place where God dwells. And one would assume this dwelling would be nothing short of spectacular. God would have undoubtedly created a magnificent place to house his existence for all eternity.
In this reality, we would begin to know God more fully (which would seem to have been his intention all the long). And we would be there with others who accepted the truth of God’s existence and believed on him before they died.
The question then becomes, what happens to those who don’t believe? Will they forfeit their eternal existence with God? Why would he accept people into an afterlife with him who didn’t accept him when they had the chance?
And if they don’t get into God’s abode to enjoy the pleasures found therein, where do they go? And is that place less desirable – maybe even physically and emotionally painful for all eternity?
5. There is purpose
If you say there is no God, then what becomes the purpose of this life? Why are we even here? To live “X” number of years and then pass into nothingness?
With a God working in this world, perhaps I could align my passions and desires to work in conjunction with his plan for how things will unfold. There could be some synergies there where I could maximize my effectiveness. Perhaps I could do more than I could have ever imagined, all because I was cooperating with a master plan.
Couple this potential productivity with an eternity dwelling with God and you would really have something to motivate you in the here and now. Your career serves a higher purpose. So does family and relationships and volunteer time. You don’t engage in these activities out of obligation, guilt or for personal gain. Everything you do is seen through the lens of purpose and what results your endeavors may bring for eternity.
Are You Sure There Is No God?
My only goal here is to get you to think. I’m weary of people who shout at the top of their lungs “There is no God” yet have done nothing to really consider it. How they can claim a truth without reading to develop logical conclusions to support their assertion is beyond me.
I have chosen to believe that there is a God. But more than that, I’ve given my life to and in service for him. I’ve studied what God has revealed in the Bible about himself and feel it has value for life now and in a life to come when I’m gone.
Granted, it is by faith I believe these things. But the consequences of dismissing God were too large for me to ignore. It was a risk I wasn’t willing to take. They way I see it, if I’m wrong, I have nothing to lose. I’ll drift into oblivion after death just like everyone else and remember nothing of my life.
But if I’m right, then a future awaits after I die that will be far greater than anything I’m experiencing now. Think of it…the chance to personally know an infinite, perfect and all-powerful God who loves me. That’s not something I’m willing to pass up.
Where are you today? Are you content to remain firm in your stance that there is no God, even though you can’t explain why you hold that belief? Or will you accept the challenge to give it a second look?
I dare you to read the Bible if you never have. Then make your decision. You can’t push a belief on others if you haven’t investigated it yourself.
Questions for Discussion: Do you think there is no God? What brings you to that conclusion? Are you open to the possibility you may be wrong? With all the literature out there about religions, why do you think most people never read the Bible?
Brian, it’s a test of faith. I am a believer of God, and believing to a being greater than humans is something very beneficial as it boosts morale and me as a person. It makes me have a good set of moral and decide with right judgment and ethics.
Of course, there is. I believe in him, and all that I do now is to glorify him. He’s been there for me in my ups and downs situations.
I can’t deny Him. And I won’t.
I do not know if there’s a God. I’m weary of people who shout at the top of their lungs that there is a God and that their God is the true one…yet have done nothing to really consider whether another religion’s God maybe it…or if perhaps there isn’t one. I’m not sure you can make the assumption that those who do not believe haven’t come upon it after much thought. Although I honestly do not think one can truly know either way so I will not shout that these is no God…or that the God of one of major religions is God.
Also, I don’t think it is accurate to say that there is no accountability or morality without a belief in God. Do you think all atheists/agnostics would commit murder and mayhem? Even if I am unsure of a God, I am still accountable to myself, to my family, my community…to society. As a human, I still have a moral compass. I don’t commit murder/robbery, etc not because I would be accountable to law enforcement or to God, but because I do not want to hurt another person.
Your story about the professor makes me think of the movie God is Not Dead. I can see that your professor may be narrow-minded, but I wonder if some of the believers aren’t ALSO narrowed-minded as well. Do they ever challenge their own beliefs? In addition, I think the film was narrowed-minded and the characters had no depth and were caricatures and stereotypes. Actually read that critique by a Christian journalist. The Christian characters were good and holy, the other characters bad. The bully atheist professor is not a believer, not because he chose that position after much thought, but because he’s angry at God. SPOILER ALERT: the movie kills him off. The movie also stereotypes Muslims and the Communist Chinese, etc.
In any case, I hope you do not take this as a negative comment. I respect those of all faiths and people with different levels of beliefs. And as much as an Atheist should challenge their own beliefs, I would hope that a believer would also take up that challenge as well.
At a time of personal crisis in my life over 40 years ago, I told God that I was giving my life over to him entirely for Him to do whatever He wanted. Since that time, He has made himself known to me many times in ways that I could not deny was Him. I believe He does that in many different ways in peoples’ lives, because He does love us and wants what is best for us.
We may not understand why certain things happen in our lives, but once a person truly trusts in God, he or she can be at peace in their circumstances. As a song I recently heard says, He is God and I am not.
Many years after the crisis that I faced at the beginning of my relationship with God, He answered the prayers of that time with blessings beyond anything I had thought of and brought me indescribable joy and thankfulness. Yes, I believe God exists.
I think the people who don’t believe in God are pretty much the far leftwng liberals whose religion is liberalism itself. They need to be so sure they are right that the thought of answering to a higher power than themselves is something they simply cannot comprehend. Nobody can tell them what to do for their way is obviously the ONLY right way.
I have to admit I sometimes question God. (I know, I should have total faith). Two areas that make me ask questions is regarding disease. I know we were never promised a trouble free life, but I sometimes think if God were a loving being, why does he allow some very good people to get horrible diseases like cancer or alzheimers. The other thing that makes me wonder is actually the Bible. While I could never claim to be any type of Biblical scholar, I do read passages that are very contradictory (ex. eye for eye vs. turn the other cheek). And I know the various books of the Bible were written by man as inspired by God, why did God give individuals such conflicting inspirations?
An interesting post which is the thought provoking material I’ve come to expect from you. Wouldn’t it be interesting to have a real conversation with God where He would answer all questions verbally so we didn’t have to rely on signs or interpretations?
You bring up some really important questions Kathy that would take a really detailed post to explain. I don’t think it’s wrong to question God. Being finite people, there is so much we don’t understand about Him. And while the Bible may seem to be contradictory, I haven’t found any point of theological doctrine that conflicts with another. Doesn’t mean some passages aren’t confusing. They just require in-depth study and an understanding of how they relate with the rest of the Bible as a whole.
As for God being a loving God and allowing all these things to happen, I think we have to keep in mind that this was never His original intent. In Genesis, God created a perfect world for two perfect beings to live in. But they were created with a will to make choices whether to follow Him or not. When Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God’s one command for them, mankind and the whole world was cursed. Man’s willful, sinful actions destroyed perfection and led to what we see today. The problems we see that lead to evil, sickness and disease, death, climate, geographical instability, etc. all have their origins in the fall of man. But none of that discounts God’s love for us.