I just finished reading an op-ed piece by a modern day self-proclaimed atheist named Sam Harris expressing his distaste for the appointment of a scientist named Frank Collins to the head of the NIH (National Institutes of Health). Mr. Harris, like other “new atheists” attacks Dr. Collins because he is a Christian, and tries to draw blood as if he screams loud enough and makes a big enough stir his point will have some validity.
Mr. Harris and many other modern day atheists remind me of my then teen-age daughter trying to side step household chores, or facing the consequences of disobedience. She (who will remain unnamed) would work up such a production over anything other than the task at hand, that if left unchecked would skew the entire point of the confrontation, and I will admit, made me reluctant to engage her unless I was fully ready for the clash.
I believe the new atheists employ a lot of bluster which include a façade of deep thinking, big words, and yes, eloquence in delivery (as would be associated with a successful used car salesman). But I also learned a simple trick that my teen age kid taught me that I haphazardly named “table-turning”. Table turning is obviously where if I as a parent, were to ask my kid why she did not load the dishes into the dishwasher, she, in her defense would ask me when the last time I loaded them, or a variation would be to inform me that I didn’t require my other child to perform the same task as much as I had asked her.
I do not operate on the same level as these new atheists obviously, even though nothing would make me happier than to see them enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, trusting His atoning death at Calvary for their eternal salvation. I fully understand they have an agenda, rather than a belief, because it would require faith in their understanding of “science” which they will never cop to. Their agenda is a little hazy as to the catalyst, but not to the intent. The intent is to deface and utterly oppose Christianity at every turn. Not Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Mormons, the Dalai Lama, or the Easter bunny, though they do give lip service to them. They are 100% dedicated to the promotion of the idea that the only “science” knowable is on their terms, by their definition of standards, and must exclude, and always carry the disclaimer that religion (which in atheist-speak is always Christianity) isn't compatible with true discovery. This, in their way of looking at things, has to be to perpetuate their agenda, this is clear.
The hazy part, of the agenda is the motivation. As a Believer, the first explanation for their motivation is Satan, as he clearly is the largest single opposition to God Almighty, not formidable, but in opposition. But human rebellion is nearly as consistent as well, these self-proclaimed atheists may deep down need a comforter to woo them back to sleep at night when they awaken to the fleeting thought that, maybe there is a God, and the potential for eternal separation from Him in a unspeakable place is really awaiting their disbelief. So the agenda could be to quash Christianity and, misery loves company. In any event, for whatever reason that motivates these people to antagonize Christian Believers and society at large, if their arguments turned are in reverse, yield the same problems for them, again, they will never cop to them, but so is the political realm we live in today of intellectual cat and mouse.
The clear image I took away from my read of Mr. Harris’s opinion was that outside his sphere of influence, his opinion means exactly squat. It can only be made sense of by a like-minded thinker, and then I am left with the idea that modern atheism is just another example of societal decay due to abandoning the recognition and worship of our Creator.
When I have time to write more I can help connect the dots that show conclusively the relation of vacating our dependence on God and the moral and societal decay we are experiencing, but I have to leave for work. God Bless.
Mr. Harris and many other modern day atheists remind me of my then teen-age daughter trying to side step household chores, or facing the consequences of disobedience. She (who will remain unnamed) would work up such a production over anything other than the task at hand, that if left unchecked would skew the entire point of the confrontation, and I will admit, made me reluctant to engage her unless I was fully ready for the clash.
I believe the new atheists employ a lot of bluster which include a façade of deep thinking, big words, and yes, eloquence in delivery (as would be associated with a successful used car salesman). But I also learned a simple trick that my teen age kid taught me that I haphazardly named “table-turning”. Table turning is obviously where if I as a parent, were to ask my kid why she did not load the dishes into the dishwasher, she, in her defense would ask me when the last time I loaded them, or a variation would be to inform me that I didn’t require my other child to perform the same task as much as I had asked her.
I do not operate on the same level as these new atheists obviously, even though nothing would make me happier than to see them enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, trusting His atoning death at Calvary for their eternal salvation. I fully understand they have an agenda, rather than a belief, because it would require faith in their understanding of “science” which they will never cop to. Their agenda is a little hazy as to the catalyst, but not to the intent. The intent is to deface and utterly oppose Christianity at every turn. Not Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Mormons, the Dalai Lama, or the Easter bunny, though they do give lip service to them. They are 100% dedicated to the promotion of the idea that the only “science” knowable is on their terms, by their definition of standards, and must exclude, and always carry the disclaimer that religion (which in atheist-speak is always Christianity) isn't compatible with true discovery. This, in their way of looking at things, has to be to perpetuate their agenda, this is clear.
The hazy part, of the agenda is the motivation. As a Believer, the first explanation for their motivation is Satan, as he clearly is the largest single opposition to God Almighty, not formidable, but in opposition. But human rebellion is nearly as consistent as well, these self-proclaimed atheists may deep down need a comforter to woo them back to sleep at night when they awaken to the fleeting thought that, maybe there is a God, and the potential for eternal separation from Him in a unspeakable place is really awaiting their disbelief. So the agenda could be to quash Christianity and, misery loves company. In any event, for whatever reason that motivates these people to antagonize Christian Believers and society at large, if their arguments turned are in reverse, yield the same problems for them, again, they will never cop to them, but so is the political realm we live in today of intellectual cat and mouse.
The clear image I took away from my read of Mr. Harris’s opinion was that outside his sphere of influence, his opinion means exactly squat. It can only be made sense of by a like-minded thinker, and then I am left with the idea that modern atheism is just another example of societal decay due to abandoning the recognition and worship of our Creator.
When I have time to write more I can help connect the dots that show conclusively the relation of vacating our dependence on God and the moral and societal decay we are experiencing, but I have to leave for work. God Bless.
