I heard this satirical creed while listening to Ravi Zacharias a few months back and was astounded by it. The self-contradictions prevalent in this thinking are made blatantly obvious, and yet it's still such a challenge to convince anyone of the truth of it because of the Postmodern era we live in. Apparently it doesn't matter if you believe two things that are in direct opposition to one another, and it doesn't matter if the evidence doesn't support your position, because according to the world, YOU get to determine what is true. But it just goes to show that unbelief is really not a matter of God refusing to reveal the truth, but rather of man suppressing the truth which God has already revealed.
The Atheist Creed
by Steve Turner
We believe in Marxfreudanddarwin.
We believe everything is OK
as long as you don't hurt anyone,
to the best of your definition of hurt,
and to the best of your knowledge.
We believe in sex before during
and after marriage.
We believe in the therapy of sin.
We believe that adultery is fun.
We believe that sodomy's OK
We believe that taboos are taboo.
We believe that everything's getting better
despite evidence to the contrary.
The evidence must be investigated.
You can prove anything with evidence.
We believe there's something in horoscopes,
UFO's and bent spoons;
Jesus was a good man just like Buddha
Mohammed and ourselves.
He was a good moral teacher, although we think
his good morals were bad.
We believe that all religions are basically the same,
at least the one that we read was.
They all believe in love and goodness.
They only differ on matters of
creation, sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation.
We believe that after death comes The Nothing
because when you ask the dead what happens
they say Nothing.
If death is not the end, if the dead have lied,
then it's compulsory heaven for all
excepting perhaps Hitler, Stalin and Genghis Khan.
We believe in Masters and Johnson.
What's selected is average.
What's average is normal.
What's normal is good.
We believe in total disarmament.
We believe there are direct links between
warfare and bloodshed.
Americans should beat their guns into tractors
and the Russians would be sure to follow.
We believe that man is essentially good.
It's only his behaviour that lets him down.
This is the fault of society.
Society is the fault of conditions.
Conditions are the fault of society.
We believe that each man must find the truth
that is right for him.
Reality will adapt accordingly.
The universe will readjust. History will alter.
We believe that there is no absolute truth
excepting the truth that there is no absolute truth.
We believe in the rejection of creeds.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
I'm sure you're aware, but it's bears saying: there are many, many people who believe in Christian creeds wholeheartedly (and live their lives accordingly) who also acknowledge evidence concerning the origin of species that is provided by sciences like molecular biology and plate tectonics.
And even more who live life using all the luxuries that science has generated out of the insight that there are important, useful similarities between the biological systems found working in, say, pigs and those found working in people.
http://nationalhogfarmer.com/news/human-to-pig/
Oh yes, I know that. That section was just a tiny speck of the whole underlying worldview, though. And it's not that natural selection isn't blatantly obvious to be true. That is exactly how humanity functions as well as all of the natural world. The problem is that many believe that very human nature to be GOOD. We are encouraged to give in to our human nature because it's what comes naturally to us, though all statistics point to the fact that when we do give in (a.k.a. sin), it is destructive to our lives, others' lives, and the whole of society. Most people these days seem to rely on fifty years of scientific study to determine what's true, when really all we had to do was open the Bible for five seconds to tell us exactly what statistics are now showing us.
I really don't want to get into a debate, though. It always ends up being a waste of time. The point is: we are all terrible, selfish people in need of a savior and our ONLY hope is Jesus Christ, and I think you'd agree. :-)
Just sayin' :)
Also: an observation that comes out of a conversation with a Mormon guy I met tonight.
The most significant religious difference I have with most of the Christians I know is on the question I ask about how religious differences should be handled: when Christians disagree with each other on a religious matter, what process should they use for settling that disagreement? And does the Bible specify (or does there need to be) one single authoritative process all Christians ought to agree to use for settling disagreements among themselves? And when is it appropriate or not appropriate for Christians to apply the authoritative process for settling religious differences to the (bigger!) differences that exist between Christians and non-Christians?
That's more than one question, obviously, but I can rephrase it broadly enough to cover all those bases in one question: what is the correct Christian doctrine on the matter of theology of religions?
I bring it up because the Mormon guy I talked to said that there is only One Church and only One Way to Live (caps mine), which sounds a lot like the point you're making, except that I'm pretty sure he means something completely different by it than what you mean. And also because I'm wondering: do you think there are no important religious differences between people who affirm the unique necessity of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
I'm not trying to start a debate, I promise. I really want to know: what do you think should be done about the irreconcilable religious disagreement between the bankruptcy described in the Atheists Creed and the grace described in Apostles Creed?
Hmm...you ask very good questions. And to answer your questions, I think that there definitely are important religious differences within the variety of Christian churches. And the point where I draw the line would really be as to whether or not the actual Gospel is believed and taught. Christ is the center of everything. He is the way, the truth, and the life and the only way to a restored relationship with God, so...THAT'S what is most important when it comes down to theological differences between churches. There are so many other areas that are honestly just gray and that even the most brilliant minds just don't understand, and I see a lot of people wasting time arguing those areas and causing dissension among the Christian community. It's not that the subjects shouldn't be discussed because they tend to cause dissension, it's that the character of Christ should be displayed while having such discussions, and we should be asking Christ to change our hearts and opinions to what is true all the while.
I honestly think loving one another is the most important aspect in resolving those differences. Because even if someone's dead-on right, if they show no regard for me, don't listen to a word I say, and are proud and arrogant about the point they're making, It's going to be ten times more difficult for me to listen to what they're saying, and even more so to take it to heart. Speak the truth in love...that's how you get people to listen.
And as for the irreconcileable differences between atheism and christianity...well, I think we just need to accept that there's no room for compromise. One of the reasons so many people claim to hate Christians is because we don't live out what we believe, so we might as well get rid of that excuse by living it out. If someone calls you a fool and an idiot and a blind sheep for believing in Christ, then you give them grace. The grace of God will speak louder than any shouting, mockery, or violence ever could. And I think it's important to remember that the heart is at the center of our beliefs, not the head. It's important to have intelligent theological discussions and to study God's word and learn about the world around us, but when it comes down to it, the reasons we reject God have very little to do with the cerebral. So I guess my answer is the same as above...speak the truth in love. I know that seems like a cop-out, but the answers to a lot of life's problems are incredibly simple. They're just so dang hard to carry out because God asks us to do what is completely opposite to our nature.
I hope I answered your questions okay. I'm not entirely sure I understood exactly what you were asking. And I'm sorry if I've been defensive. Let's just say that Internet debating has never gone well for me. I've been mocked again and again and again and called names that I don't even want to repeat. I'd be lying if I said I weren't still a little scarred from it. :-/
I think you answered my questions, and I agree with what I think you're saying: that the best proof of Christianity is in the persuasive value of its adherants' lives, rather than expecting atheists (or Hindus, or Buddhists, or anyone else) to cave.
It might sound postmodernistic, but I'm OK with living in the same world as billions of people with whom I have mortal religious disagreements. What makes my view different from postmodernism: I think the temporary life everyone is born into is obviously inclusive (that is, people who believe absolutely anything, no matter how silly, are born every day), but eternal life is exclusive (in that many, many people who believe ridiculous BS will be left out in the cold).
If that makes sense.
(Also: If my Aug. 31 was unfair to the view you expressed in the initial post, I apologize for that. I have been known to bristle over science/religion issues.)
I don't think it's postmodern to be OK with living with people who believe differently. I think it's very biblical actually, and of course aligned with reality. We are to love one another, no matter who they are or what they believe...even those who are our "enemies." But I, of course, definitely consider part of loving one another to include sharing the Gospel with those who haven't heard, and I really want God to use me in that way.
I think it's really important, though, that we show compassion on those who believe what we see as BS. I mean, when it comes down to it, the only reason I have any spiritual discernment at all or am able to live some measly semblance of a Christ-like life is because of His work for and in me. People who don't know Christ just aren't going to think or act like Him until they come to believe in Him and allow Him to change them. And that's where my responsibility as a Christian certainly comes into the picture...to pray for them, love them, give them a glimpse of who Christ is through my own life and tell them about Him. I think we all tend to make the mistake of assuming that people don't want to know God because of the way they think and live, when really they simply think and live the way they do because they don't know God.
Mostly unrelatedly.....I can't tell if this is funny or not.
Post a Comment