Fear Isn’t the Only Emotion That Creates Atheism
“But fear isn’t the only emotion that creates atheism.” Aldous Huxley, the grandson of Charles Darwin’s ‘bulldog’ Thomas Huxley, said candidly of his atheism, ‘For myself, as, no doubt, for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaningless was essentially an instrument of liberation. The liberation we desired was simultaneously liberation from a certain political and economic system and liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom; we objected to the political and economic system because it was unjust. The supporters of these systems claimed that in some way they embodied the meaning (a Christian meaning, they insisted) of the world. There was one admirably simple method of confuting these people and at the same time justifying ourselves in our political and erotical revolt: we could deny that the world had any meaning whatsoever’. For Huxley and friends, the desire for sex untethered to morality demanded that God be cut loose from the world. Happily, as Huxley noted later, he realized that this was an intellectual error.” [Quote from “Culture Watch” 10/7/07 ed. (Emphasis mine)]
Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! (Matthew 18:7)
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11: 6)
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. (Hebrews 11: 7)
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (11: 8-10)
Mahatma Gandhi liked Christ but could not abide the Christian because of the hypocrisy mirrored in the Christian life. It was in failure to live out the message of the cross through a “new birth” that exposed the hypocrisy. That is the missing (X) factor in the Christian life. “The Christian lives like God one hour one day of the week (some only one hour two days a year) and more like Satan the rest of the time.”
For the most part we who profess Christ and Him crucified do not live a crucified and resurrected life in the Son; by this we deny the supernatural quality of faith and make God a liar. Nathan the prophet said to David, “thou art the man!” (II Samuel 12: 7) I confess he was right and repent! We simply do not live the life which we profess!
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