Thankful to God that the atheists are wrong

On By geochristianIn Atheism, Young-Earth creationism

Answers in Genesis has some new billboards that I actually like, highlighted on today’s Around the World With Ken Ham blog. Here’s one of them:

aig_billboard

As I recently reminded one reader here on The GeoChristian, I am on the same side as the young-Earth creationists. We may differ on a secondary issue—the age of the Earth—but my goal is the same as theirs: to point people to Jesus Christ, the creator of the universe; the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

I have many reasons to be thankful that the atheists are wrong. Here are a few:

  • I can actually know the God of the universe through knowing his son Jesus Christ as revealed by God in the Scriptures.
  • I can read about mass murderers, human traffickers, drug dealers, and child abusers, and objectively say “these things are evil.” Atheists also view these things as evil, but don’t have a strong foundation for doing so.
  • There is such a thing as a Final Judgement. In the end, all wrongs will be dealt with, and every teardrop will be wiped away from the eyes of God’s people.
  • Good works matter. It really does matter if I give a cup of cold water to the thirsty, or sponsor a child in Africa.
  • Matter matters. God created the universe and proclaimed it to be good. It really does matter what we do with the physical world. It is not just stuff be used for our own purposes, but it all belongs to God.
  • Beauty matters. Art, music, drama, and other expressions of human creativity are not just evolutionary anomalies, but point to God who created humans in his image.
  • The future of God’s people is bright and full of promise. To an atheist, the ultimate future of humanity as a whole is death.
  • Human beings have inherent value and dignity, because they are created in the image of God.
  • Humans also have purpose. Purpose does not have to be constructed or invented, as in Sartre’s depressing work Being and Nothingness. That purpose is to love God and love people.
  • My individuality matters. I am not just a cog in the wheel, but make a unique contribution to my part of the world.
  • For those in Christ, the end of this life is not the end, but the beginning of real life.
  • That new life—which we have a taste of now—will be free of all the hurt and ugliness that mar this world.
  • In the resurrection, we won’t be floating around in “heaven” with harps (that is not a Biblical picture of “eternal life”), but we will be walking around in resurrected bodies on a renewed Earth. That is going to be awesome.
  • For believers, death is only a temporary separation. I am going to see my Dad again!
  • There will be no more pain or sickness.

Grace and Peace

 

12 thoughts on “Thankful to God that the atheists are wrong”

  2. WebMonk

    I have to admit that I was less than impressed. You, as a Christian, see lots of things we are thankful are not true because Atheism is not true. You’ve listed some.

    However, the sign isn’t aimed at Christians. It is aimed at Atheists.

    What is it saying to Atheists?

    Well, I’m not sure. Not much of anything I can tell. It’s nothing more than a snarky comment, restating that AiG feels so much better knowing that the deluded Atheists are wrong.

    That’s hardly something I think is worthwhile shouting, and is counter productive, IMO. And it’s not just because it’s AiG posting this. I saw a less obvious photo of this passed around on Facebook four or five times, and developed the thoughts I mentioned above, before I ever noticed that little AiG tagline.

    Not something I think is a good thing for anyone to use.

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  4. geochristian

    Webmonk,

    My first thoughts when I read the billboard on Ken Ham’s blog were about why I am thankful that atheism is not true.

    My second thoughts were that the AiG billboard campaign probably won’t lead many (or any) to Christ. Many atheists’ hearts are hardened against Christianity, and using an apologetic based on a secondary and controversial doctrine like a 6,000-year old Earth probably won’t convince them.

    My third thought is that maybe someone, by the grace of God (as always) could come to faith in Christ through billboards such as these. If an open-minded atheist (i.e., one who is not a narrow-minded “free thinker”) were to start to think about the objectivity of morals, for instance, they could easily start down the slippery slope to Christianity. This is because there are, indeed, a number of reasons to be thankful that atheism is not true.

    I will pray that my third thought will come true in the lives of some atheists (or other non-Christians) through the AiG billboards.

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  5. Thanks for the reminder. I tend to get so caught up in what I believe and various details of it that I can forget about how good the implications of it really are!

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  6. WebMonk

    I think a snarky comment with no reference to any sort of reasoning, objectivity of morality, reference to any spiritual concepts, or anything like that, has exactly zero chance of spawning the sorts of thoughts you have come up with.

    You’re a Christian, looking at this and purposefully working to find things to which you are thankful to God.

    An Atheist looks at this and sees ….. a random, vaguely mocking comment with no relationship to anything.

    The trail of thoughts that lead you from this sign to any sort of deeper consideration requires that you already be a Christian.

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  7. A short while ago I made the FOLLOWING comment at the British Centre for Science Education’s community forum:

    “http://www.christianpost.com/news/creationist-group-challenges-atheists-with-thank-god-youre-wrong-billboards-106212/
    I didn’t find the AiG posters offensive.

    However, having thought further, there’s a ‘but’. First, AiG do NOT treat individual atheists and other sceptics who question their dogmatic pronouncements on scientific matters with ANY respect. Second, if someone looks up the AiG website as a result of seeing the posters, they are in effect directed to this page.
    http://www.answersingenesis.org/get-answers/features/thank-god-youre-wrong?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=thank-god-youre-wrong-campaign

    Within the page there is a four minute video in which Ken Ham continually attacks the views of atheists (including implying that all atheists are the same as Richard Dawkins). Atheists attack Christianity – “why do they care”? Because they allegedly ‘know’ it is true but are in ‘rebellion’ against God. Ham: “Go jump off a cliff now and get it over and done with” (male LAUGHTER from within the audience.) No ‘purpose’ in your life. Mr Ham seems unaware that people MAY listen to him who have attempted or contemplated suicide during a low point in their lives; anxiety can sometimes mean the person is searching for a faith.

    Ham also criticises scientists trying to ‘re-create’ early life. They are simply ‘copying’ what God has already done. These scientists have all become ‘fools’ and they are ‘without excuse’. Yes – insults and stereo-typing are OK when they are biblical insults and biblical stereo-typing.

    The clip is ALL negative. It’s obvious to Ken Ham that there is a God – because atheists and scientists are all fools.

    Thus I can now understand why a number of Christians aren’t that happy. Though I can understand why AiG would want to have some billboards given that atheists have done the same thing.

    What do others think?”.

    btw I’m a former evangelical Christian who slowly turned agnostic following a mental breakdown in 2004. I’ve never been a YEC nor felt a need to be one (I was ignorant of most of science whilst a believing Christian too).

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  9. Kevin

    As someone who’s on the same side as Ken Ham (and vice versa though since 2010 he has called ‘millions of years’ a ‘disease’) you may wish to see my comment here on his latest blog post:
    http://forums.bcseweb.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2967&p=47472#p47472

    “http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham/2013/10/12/a-new-atheist-billboard/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+KenHam+%28Around+the+World+with+Ken+Ham%29
    “The Answers in Genesis billboard is a marketing campaign designed to drive people to the http://www.answersingenesis.org website where visitors will see a banner that connects with the billboard statement. People are directed to an article and video related to the campaign to reach atheists, with access to thousands of articles on our website. It is our prayer that visitors to the website will be challenged concerning the truth of God’s Word and the gospel”.
    That would be the video where Ham addresses an audience of Christians and says of atheists “Go jump off a cliff now and get it over and done with!”
    Presumably the atheists should either embrace the truth of God’s Word before jumping or embrace it because they might then decide not to jump? What about the atheists who actually DON’T want to jump?”

    Please see also: http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/au/disease-millions-of-years
    “These Christian leaders have kept a “compromise door” open. If that door is not completely shut, then the next generation of leaders will push the door open further”;
    “Why is the issue of time so important in the secular world? Well, without the supposed millions/billions of years, secularists cannot even propose biological evolution. An old age is absolutely crucial for the secularists in their attempt to explain life without God”;
    “Compromising Christian leaders need to give up not only biological evolution, but geological and cosmological evolution (i.e., billions of years). I call on Christians everywhere to shut the door to this compromise that is undermining the church and culture. Indeed, we are seeing the collapse of biblical Christianity in the West as scriptural authority is questioned”.

    Ken Ham is rabidly anti-science, whilst frequently pretending to be pro-science. That is because science contradicts Genesis and he wants Genesis to be utterly infallible history and scientifically accurate in every regard.

    Ashley

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  11. geochristian

    Ashley — No, I am not naïve or uninformed about Ken Ham (as you suggested at http://forums.bcseweb.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2967&p=47472#p47472). I am, in a sense, overlooking an offense. He goes way overboard on his rhetoric about “compromise,” which I believe causes division over a secondary issue within the church. He feels very strongly that acceptance of an ancient Earth causes people to reject Christianity, I and I feel strongly that young-Earth creationism is a stumbling block that keeps people from Christianity. But I am willing to overlook Ken’s faults because 1) God overlooks my faults, 2) I love Ken as my brother in Christ, and 3) The gospel (good news) that Ken and I have in common far outweighs whatever divides us.

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