What the Bible Says about Atheism

Best-selling author, speaker, and advocate for Christian apologetics, Dr. Alex McFarland. Best-selling author and apologist, Dylan Burrows. Together bringing you truth.

For a new generation, this is TNG Radio. Is atheism logical? Is atheism a worldview that we should build our life upon? Well, many young people today are embracing atheism. And on today's edition of Truth For A New Generation, we want to talk about atheism.

And I'd like to set forth some reasons not to be an atheist. Hi, Alex McFarland here with Dylan Burrows. And we're going to talk about a topic that, whether you've really thought about it too much or not, it definitely is a cultural phenomenon. And so atheism is our subject today. Dylan, it's good to be with you, my friend. And great to be with you as always, Alex.

As a scholar and a writer and a person that, like myself, you've done a lot of work with young people and college students. Has it, well, let me ask, what has been your reaction to kind of the popularity of atheism over the last decade? Well, it has been interesting. It hasn't been so much the past decade as perhaps maybe the past five years or so that you've seen a rise in the popularity of atheism. It's this pop culture fad, if you will, where young people see it as the cool alternative if they want to be the rebel.

You're no longer just sneaking out back to smoke a cigarette like back in the old days. You're embracing atheism and going anti-God in every way you can. So it's associated with certain bands, a certain culture. And according to a recent study by the Barna Group on Generation Z, our current teenage population, it's likely to have a more than double percentage of atheism among teenagers than in past generations. So there is a numerical change there.

There is a cultural change there. It's something we need to be aware of as Christians dealing with the young people in our society today. Well, the reasons, friends, that we're going to set forth today not to be an atheist would include these things.

And each one of these could be a show into itself. But we're going to argue that atheism is illogical, unscientific, really unethical, or at least it provides no basis for ethics and morality. Atheism, I would say, is actually anti-intellectual and unsatisfying. And then for a moment we do want to talk about why we believe biblical Christianity, the word theism, the belief that there is a God, God has created, God has intervened in the universe and in the world and God can be known. We're going to argue that theism, biblical theism, really is satisfying and fulfilling.

But let's talk about this. Atheism being philosophically untenable or illogical, it is impossible to prove that God does not exist. And yet a lot of atheists, Dylan, at least when I've spoken at universities, they're almost indignant, like, you know, oh my goodness, you believe in God?

Come on. And part of their sway with young people is just the swagger and the braggadocio of atheism, like, it would just be unthinkable to accept that God exists. And yet their rejection of God, their negation of God, is not something that they can prove or even really rationally defend. Well, it's interesting that you mention that, because really you would have to be an eternal being who has seen everything from all times past, have all access to all information to prove definitively that God does not exist. Most people today have doubts about God or they deny God exists. They're truly an agnostic. They have doubts about God.

They don't know for sure if there's a God, but they can't truly be atheistic because, like you said, that's an illogical basis for faith. It's interesting what the philosopher David Hume said long ago, that a wise man proportions his belief to the evidence. We have to make our claims based on the evidence that's available, not based on our assumptions or what we think is true, based on our own wishes. Well, and speaking of the evidence, I mean, some of the classic arguments for God's existence would be the cosmological argument, the moral argument, the teleological argument. Others, there's one called the ontological argument that is fascinating.

In fact, Dylan and I would love for us to do a show on that at some point. But the cosmological argument says because there's a world, God must exist. The creation had to have a creator. The moral argument says the law written on our heart, law comes from a lawgiver, and the reality of universal moral knowledge is long documented. The teleological argument from the Greek word teleos, design, everything in the world around us exhibits design and purpose, order, structure, specificity.

So the design must have had a designer. And all of the things that we see, all of the available knowledge, points to the fact that the most logical conclusion is that there is a God behind it all, a designer. And so Dylan, one of the points that I would like to make is when atheists say that, well, because there's evil in the world, or there's suffering, or there's injustice, and there are those things, they almost have the posture that you don't have to prove atheism. There's no burden of proof on their shoulders. But I would say if proof for atheism is unnecessary, then it really is a belief based on blind faith.

Well, true. And really, pretty much all atheists do not actually make arguments against God's existence like you mentioned. They make arguments against what kind of God may exist, whether it's the kind of God that you'd see in the pages of the Bible versus the kind of God that perhaps a person brings to the table in terms of their misconceptions. Also, you see this idea of the object of the moral validity of what God is purported to have done in history. In other words, God has done things in history, and we question whether He has or has not. If you come to the table with a view of atheism. So in reality, in many of these cases, it's an agnosticism. It's doubts about God, questions about God. And if you can move a person from sheer atheism where they deny the existence of God and have a conversation about the facts and bring them to the point of agnosticism to where they are discussing whether there is a God or what kind of God there is, then that's a great step in the conversation with a skeptic. You've taken a person from a point of no faith to maybe. And when you get into that field of maybe, then you can start having a real discussion about who God is, what kind of God may exist, and questions about the God of the Bible. So notice this point, folks, that virtually all atheists, they're not making solid defensible arguments or proofs against God's existence, but they're pushing back about what they think or what they misconstrue about God.

Yesterday, when I was speaking at this school, a teacher who's struggling with some Christian students, youth groupers, that are flirting with agnosticism and atheism, and a lot of it is the Old Testament. You know, why did God tell Israel to kill the Philistines and things like that? Now, did God have a morally sufficient reason to tell Israel to do that?

And of course he did, because the purpose of Israel taking their land, becoming a nation, was to send forth the Messiah to be the Savior of the world. We're talking about atheism on today's edition of Truth for a New Generation, five reasons not to be an atheist. And we'll continue this conversation with Dylan Burrows when we return. You know, Alex has been writing for many years, and one of his classic books is still great today as a basic introduction to the Christian faith. It's called Stand, Core Truths You Must Know for an Unshakeable Faith. This book will help you help your teens get off the roller coaster of doubt and onto solid ground. You'll read about the six pillars of biblical Christianity.

They are, one, inspiration of the Bible, two, the virgin birth, three, the deity of Christ, four, atonement, five, Christ's resurrection, and six, Christ's return. You know, Alex mixes it up with humor and stories he gleaned from decades of working with youth, and encourages teens to build a foundation of faith that will stabilize their lives and help them take a stand for Christ. Simple and straightforward, Stand, Core Truths You Must Know for an Unshakeable Faith, available wherever Christian books are sold. First Peter 3.15 tells us to be ready always to give an answer for the hope we have.

We're instructed to be prepared to defend our faith. This is Alex McFarland for the Life Answers Teams, students we train at North Greenville University, a leading Christian college in South Carolina. The Life Answers Teams are made up of students who will inspire and equip your congregation. These apologetics teams we train speak in churches to youth groups and train Christians of all ages to address key issues of our times from a biblical perspective. Like is there a God?

Is the Bible true? What about gender and moral issues? Call me at 864-977-2008 and we will arrange for the Life Answers Team to come to your church and give a presentation that will benefit your people for years to come.

864-977-2008 and always be ready. This is Dillon Burrows back with Alex McFarland at Truth for a New Generation and we are talking about five reasons atheism is not true or five reasons not to be an atheist. But before we get back to our discussion, I want to talk briefly with Alex McFarland about some of the things God is doing at Truth for a New Generation, including conferences.

Tell us a little bit about what to expect at Truth for a New Generation. Dillon, the Lord has given us so many opportunities and so many good things to be about. As you hear this program, I am on the road speaking in the Alabama Baptist Evangelism Conference and I have been in a number of churches. I was just in a couple of high schools later this spring and I will keep you aware of it. I will be in at least five more public schools to speak this spring.

But two things I want to make you aware of. March 21, we have got a very special event in North Carolina, Greensboro, March 21, with Todd Starnes of Fox News. Todd is a great friend and an amazing leader in our country and a champion for Christ. He speaks in our conferences. And if you want to see and hear Todd Starnes in Greensboro, March 21, you can go to truthforanewgeneration.com.

Truth for a New Generation dot com. Learn about that. Learn about our big events all around the country. But the other thing, Dillon, I am so excited about is our camp.

Now listen up, folks. Apologetics Camp for teenagers. And it is going to be July 29 through August 2. We are going to be in Eastern North Carolina, Camp Kale. It is a wonderful camp. I have been there half a dozen times. It is a pretty amazing place. There is going to be a ropes course and kayaking and swimming and games and Frisbee golf and all those fun things.

But 15 sessions. And myself and Andy Laurenson. And we think we are going to have some of the on-air personalities of American Family Radio will be there. And a lot of great things. But listen to this, Mom and Dad.

I want to challenge you to invest five days that will count for a lifetime. Dillon, I was going over some of the feedback from last year's camp. We had teenagers from nine states coming to learn how to defend their faith. And one student wrote me and said, Alex, I am heading back to school ready to stand strong for Christ. TNG camp was awesome.

So Mom and Dad, listen to this. It is $349. As summer camps go, that is not a bad deal.

And it is a turnkey price. Notebooks, meals, everything. And so we are going to talk about not being ashamed.

That is the theme. Unashamed. Not ashamed of God. Not ashamed of Jesus. Not ashamed of his Word.

Not ashamed of America. So this is the thing that youth need to be at. And we are going to have a great time. We are going to have fun. But we are also going to equip your youth to stand strong. And so go to the website truthforanewgeneration.com.

Look at events. And we hope to see your students, your kids, your youth group at our summer camp coming up not that far away July 29th through August 2nd. One last thing, and I want to return to our conversation about atheism. Folks, we do a weekly e-newsletter. And you can get that if you text us 555888 the word revival.

We will not share your information with anybody, but if you text 555888 and just the word revival, we will begin to send you the articles and the free content that we generate every week to help get people excited about praying for our nation. Well Dylan, let's return to our conversation about atheism because regrettably atheism is growing among young people. And one of the things that many college professors will say or the pop level atheists, they seem to indicate that because we don't know everything about God, maybe this proves that God doesn't exist.

But I would say there are plenty of things that do exist that are valid things that we only know about partially or maybe even not at all. And so our lack of complete understanding doesn't mean there is no God. I mean he is God. We are humans. He is infinite.

We are finite. Of course we are not going to know everything about God. Right, and as we continue talking about five reasons not to be an atheist, the second reason that atheism is unscientific is a very powerful one. The position is not based on observation or evidence but on faith. It is interesting that even Charles Darwin, the great voice behind evolutionary theory that we talk about so much today, whether you dispute it or whether you accept it depending on your world view, had this idea that there must be some kind of creator out there.

Tell us a little bit about this, Alex. Well you know Darwin over and over would say things like the complexity of the eye seemed to be impossible to have evolved by chance. And one of the quotes that Darwin said was that the impossibility of conceiving this immense and wonderful universe including man with his intellectual capacities, it is almost inconceivable said Darwin that this was quote the result of blind chance.

Now listen to this. Darwin said when thus reflecting I feel compelled to look to a first cause having an intelligent mind in some degree analogous to that of man. I deserve to be called a theist. Not an atheist but a theist. Now was Darwin a born again believer? No he was not. But over and over he pointed to the fact that if it could be shown that the interdependent systems could not have evolved in the absence of the others then his theory as he said quote would completely break down.

And I believe that it does. And in fact many of the scientists that are renowned throughout history that were at least theistic. In other words they believed in God and many were actually followers of Jesus Christ. The prominent scientists who were theistic would include Isaac Newton and Galileo, Copernicus, Kepler, Francis Bacon, Pascal, Descartes, on and on we could go. Kelvin, Faraday, Marconi who invented radio, Louis Pasteur, Dylan, on and on we could go. They were scientists who looked at the evidence and they said creation had to have a creator, design had to have a designer. We've never seen order and structure and information come out of nothing and arrange itself in a vacuum. Scientists including Nobel laureates recognized there had to be an ultimate cause behind this incredible universe.

And that's important because science ultimately does not invent information it discovers information and that everything science discovers reveals incredible levels of structure and purpose in our world. Now when we come back we're going to talk about this idea that atheism is not just unscientific but it's also ultimately unethical. And you'll hear what we mean about that when we come back. This idea that in an atheistic worldview there's no absolute moral standard to which we must adhere and the consequences of that for those who hold the view of atheism. So stick with us we'll be right back at Truth For A New Generation. Christians don't necessarily agree with one another when it comes to questions of religious pluralism, homosexuality, the role of government, abortion and war. Too often we manage these disagreements by ignoring them. Yet we're called to engage the world for the sake of Christ.

How can we be effective if we avoid society's most pressing questions? In 10 issues that divide Christians, Alex McFarland challenges us to drill down to the biblical core of 10 current issues such as social justice, evil and suffering, pornography and environmentalism as he echoes the biblical invitation, come let us reason together. Only by engaging the scriptures deeply, thinking clearly and speaking truthfully can we and God's family address our differences and discover the peace that comes with unity of purpose. 10 issues that divide Christians.

Find this book and many others at AlexMcFarland.com. If you're a Christian parent you of course want to instill a biblical view of life in the hearts of your children. If you're a pastor you want to offer ministry that draws young families to your church. This is Alex McFarland encouraging you to check out my new book and video curriculum, The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask About Christianity. Why do bad things happen? I interviewed hundreds of children ages 5 to 12 and we address actual questions from actual children, the spiritual issues that are on the minds of your kids.

Did Jesus ever sin? The book and video lessons are great for groups of any size and was produced with the goal of equipping kids to stand strong for Christ in any situation. The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask, the book, study guide and video series. You'll find it at AFASTORE.net.

That's AFASTORE.net. This is Dylan Burroughs back with Alex McFarland and we are talking about five reasons not to be an atheist. As you may know atheism is growing among young people today and there are reasons we need to talk about why not to be an atheist.

We've talked about two of them already. The last one is that atheism is unscientific but we also introduced the idea that atheism is unethical. In other words if you are an atheist you have no moral standards of right and wrong and we want to talk about what is the concern with this view. So Alex tell us a little bit why do we say atheism is unethical? Dylan as you well know if you debate an atheist many of the objections will center around the perceived injustices of the world. Granted it's a fallen world, it's a world of sin. And Christians we agree murder is wrong.

It's wrong that people are being exploited and trafficked and people are starving. But we can only legitimately say something is wrong if it has fallen short of an ultimate standard of truth and morality that we measure against. In fact when we say for instance Mother Teresa lived a good life, Billy Graham lived a good life, Adolf Hitler, Osama Bin Laden lived a bad evil life, what we are really saying is the actions of a Billy Graham or a Mother Teresa conform more closely to an ultimate standard of good than did the life of a murderer or thief or criminal. So when the atheist removes the standard we measure against, God, they really don't have any moral north star to which they look other than their own bias and their opinion. Now I'm not saying atheists can't do things that are moral, but I am saying they really don't have any absolute basis for talking about morality. And that's a good way to put it because even a person who claims to be an atheist does have a sense of right and wrong, but where does that come from?

What are the objectives, what is the basis for that reality of right and wrong? There is no firm basis if you hold to atheism. But we want to move on to reason four here, five reasons not to be an atheist. Reason four is that atheism is anti-intellectual. The atheistic worldview provides no objective answer to life's most fundamental questions.

To give you an example, this idea of why is there something rather than nothing, this concept of origin, where does life come from, what is my purpose in life? These questions have no clear answers if you hold to the view of atheism. And this is concerning for those of us who are seeking meaning and purpose in life, isn't it, Alex?

Well it is. I mean so many of the atheists that we've debated or dialogued with, they'll say things like, well if you ask me, or in my opinion, or I've always just assumed this or that, let me say in this life we want objective answers and truth, but frankly, preparing for the next life. I mean there is this world, but then there's eternity. And let me just with all of the urgency that I can muster, look, you don't want to trust your soul, your eternity, your destiny, to the ramblings of an angry blogger who's denying God and railing against the church, or even Richard Dawkins who tries to dress up his anger against God in scientific jargon and lofty language. Listen, if atheism is what you embrace, really not only do you not have solid answers for the questions of this life, meaning, purpose, origin, but you've got no hope, no hope for your destiny, your future.

And once you leave this world, it's too late to make a second choice. And so God provides the best explanation of why there is a universe, the complex order in the universe, objective moral values. God provides the best explanation for the historical facts about the life and death, resurrection of Jesus. And Dylan, let me say this about the fulfillment and the satisfying nature of a relationship with Christ.

God can be personally and immediately known and experienced. We call this an existential reason for Christianity. And so rather than just procrastinate and push this out of our mind or try to placate our friends and act like we're too self-sufficient to need God, we have to humble ourselves.

And let me ask you this, Dylan. Do you think that part of the reason that some people, not all, but some people are so averse to the idea of God and Christ, is it because we do have to humble ourselves when we come to God? Well, that's certainly part of it, and that brings us to our final and fifth reason that theism is logical. You mentioned that God provides the best explanation of why the universe exists. Well, many people don't want to accept that, and the reasons vary, but one reason is, as you mentioned, the idea that if I want to live a certain way, I have to justify that way of life.

And that's sometimes how it is done. It's interesting to me that a theist is someone who believes in the personal God who created the universe, but is not part of the universe. And that goes even deeper for those of us who believe in Jesus Christ as God's Son. I want people to understand that when we talk about theism, we're talking about a specific form of theism.

A Muslim believes there is one God, but they do not believe in Jesus Christ as God's Son who rose from the dead. So we talk about a particular form of theism, the biblical God, the triune God of Father, Son, and Spirit, as it's often mentioned. As we wrap up, Alex, can you just give us a final word for those perhaps who are struggling with doubts regarding the existence of God, or where they stand with God today? Well, friend, why don't you pray the seeker's prayer? And God is merciful, and God is willing to hear you if you're honestly seeking truth. Jeremiah 29, 11-13 promises that if you're honestly seeking and you seek with all your heart, you will find. So say, God, if you're real, I'm willing to know that. And so God, please help me to keep my heart open, and God help me to honestly seek you, and Lord, if you're real, help me to find you. And I would challenge you to pray, to be honest and open.

Try to be honest with yourself. Maybe you didn't want there to be a God. Maybe there are behaviors and things in your life that you know aren't right with God.

And so look at your heart and try to acknowledge if you've embraced unbelief, because that's how you wanted things to be. But then Dylan and I would encourage people to read the Gospel of John, 21 chapters. You can read it in three weeks.

If you read five, six, seven minutes a day, although I suspect, like so many, you'll probably want to read it in one sitting. But read the Gospel of John and pray, God, if you're real, please show yourself to me. Amen. Great words, Alex. Thanks for being with us here at Truth For A New Generation.

We look forward to being with you next time. Truth For A New Generation, in association with Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries, exists to equip Christians with a Biblical worldview through conferences and camps. For information about upcoming events, visit truthforanewgeneration.com or give us a call at 877-YES-GOD-1.

That's 877-YES-GOD and the number 1. TNG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries. PO Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. That's PO Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. Or give online at alexmcfarland.com or truthforanewgeneration.com. Thanks for listening and join us again next time as we bring you more truth for a new generation on TNG radio.