In this season of Thanksgiving, I’m thankful I’m not an atheist because I would have nothing to be thankful about. Atheism made sense to me until I was 23 years old and thinking about suicide because living made no sense. That’s what happens when you believe you came from nothing and will return to nothing. Nothing meaningful can happen between life and death, or after death, simply because “nothing” has no meaning. It cannot have meaning. It is nothing. It is so much nothing that if it was true, we could not even be sure we are alive—each of us could only know we are a thing that thinks in the moment we think it.
It takes hard work to say, honestly, that you are an atheist living in an accidental universe. It takes a lot less faith to believe in God than to believe in nothing. Aristotle cleverly observed that “nothing” is what rocks dream about.
A massive problem for the logical fallacy of atheism lies in the inescapable fact that living atheists clearly believe in “something” because they demonstrate meaning, purpose, and personal self-interest by continuing to exist. Living atheists are a paradox and a contradiction, separating themselves from true atheists who sincerely believe that accidental life has no meaning or purpose and typically commit suicide.
Living atheists are self-deluded at best. At worst, they are liars and idolaters. The inevitable outcome for God deniers is that they end up worshipping themselves! They seek validation by acting in God’s stead. The German philosopher Nietzsche called this a “will to power” leading to the emergence of a “superman” to rule the world.
In seeking superman status atheists unwittingly mimic that ancient evil spirit whom Scripture records as declaring, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” (Isaiah 14:13-14).
Satan’s gospel proclaims human nature as the pinnacle of godless evolution, empowered by human will to manipulate human society and its physical environment until a perfect world is attained. The true purpose of this devilish doctrine is to subject all human life to Satan’s rule, to ultimately degrade and destroy it as a supreme act of defiance against God.
Which brings me back to my opening thought: I’m thankful that Jesus loved me enough to die for me and share His resurrection life with me. The the best way to demonstrate my thankfulness is to live daily in such a way that those under the adversary’s spell, who worship false gods, idols, and even themselves, may recognize the One True God when they encounter His life in me and hear His Gospel from me.