Why I'm not an Atheist
I was once told Christians are a bunch of hypocrites, maybe more than once. I don’t doubt the existence of Christian hypocrites, but it should be noted that Jesus condemned hypocrisy. Atheists, however, have no right to condemn hypocrisy, especially since all atheists are hypocrites!
Every atheist I have met says there is no God, but then he acts like God exists. He acts like the world is an orderly place with laws of logic, objective morality, and truth. The atheist can wax eloquent about the importance of Logic and Reason. He believes in science. Hold it! In a world without God, is there a way we ought to reason? He can get downright passionate in his opposition to the evils of Christianity. Note that word evil...can there be such a thing in a world without God? And, oh how he likes to pose as a seeker of truth! What on earth is truth in a godless universe?
I don't blame the atheist for being a hypocrite. He can't help it. The atheist is trying to live in a fantasy world--a world without God. He says there is no God, but in order to make that truth claim, he must assume the existence of laws of logic, objective morality, and truth—three realities he cannot account for in a godless universe. In order to deny God, he must assume God's governance of all things, then suppress this truth, which results in a life of hypocrisy.
Friedrich Nietzsche was an atheist's atheist. He was a hearty robust man's man of an atheist. He looked at the world and did his best to face the reality of a world without God. Nietzsche said, "When one gives up the Christian faith, one pulls the right to Christian morality out from under one’s feet." He faced the 'facts'. The Marquis de Sade said the same thing more succinctly, "No God, no moral imperatives."
If there is no God, then there are no oughts or shoulds in the world. Christians can shove their religion down the throats of everybody in a godless universe. Will the atheist say, "He should not!" Yes, of course, but when he does he is a hypocrite. What is is. Actions are neither right nor wrong. Things just are in the atheist's imaginary universe.
The atheist is caught on the horns of a dilemma. If he makes any moral judgments, he acts like there are real moral imperatives in the world. If he is consistent with his atheism, he will live contentedly with no moral imperatives. The atheist will either use moral imperatives or he will not. Therefore, the atheist must either stop making moral judgments or confess that he is a hypocrite. Atheists always opt for hypocrisy...even the uber-atheist Nietzsche.
Consider Nietzsche's criticism of the English atheists. "They are rid of the Christian God and now believe all the more firmly that they must cling to Christian morality. This is an English inconsistency: we do not wish to hold it against little moralistic females à la Eliot. In England one must rehabilitate oneself after every little emancipation from theology by showing in a veritably awe-inspiring manner what a moral fanatic one is. That is the penance they pay there."
Nietzsche's criticism of George Eliot's inconsistency reveals his hypocrisy. He thinks she should be more consistent. It is so hard for humans created in God's image to stop making moral judgments. If there is no God, there are no moral imperatives. Why is consistency better than inconsistency? Why not glory in hypocrisy?
Many atheists, however, hate hypocrisy. It is a form of deception and they claim to want the truth. They think the 'yes' ought to be yes and the 'no' ought to be no. They want the law of non-contradiction: "A statement cannot be both true and false at the same time and in the same sense." Logic, however, is all about telling us how we ought to reason. We should not assert the consequent or deny the antecedent, because these are invalid arguments.
The imaginary world of Nietzsche and de Sade, however, is a world with no moral imperatives, which means it is a world without logic. If I want to deny the antecedent, who are you to condemn me. Who are you to judge me, if my 'yes' means 'no'? "No God, no moral imperatives."
The real world created by the Triune God is a place with moral imperatives, laws of logic, and truth. The Triune God has clearly revealed Himself in His creation and His word, so the atheist's suppression of that truth brings God's judgment upon him. He is a guilty hypocrite condemned to a futile way of thinking (Rom.1:18-21 see below).
There is a way out. The man created in God's image must obey the most obvious moral imperative in the universe. He must bow down to his Maker. He must honor the One who sustains his beating heart and thinking brain. He must give Him thanks. This is what he should do. It is the only logical thing to do. So that is why I'm not an atheist.
Romans 1:18-21
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.