This is my first blog post on this website, so I hope you enjoy it! Today's topic is on why people reject the existence of God.
Often, I have discussions with people who tell me God does not exist. Last year, on a game I used to play called Runescape, I was in a conversation with someone who told me just that. I asked them why. Then, they asked me why I believe God exists. So, I spent 30 minutes with him discussing the evidence within the universe, the apparent design in biology, freewill, consciousness, transcendental morals, evil, and how the existence of God reasonably makes sense of all this evidence. After we were done talking, he retorted “actually, I really don’t care about God”.
I make a mistake in not allowing the burden of proof to lie where it really belongs, that is, the burden of proof lies upon the person who makes the claim. In this case, the claim is “God does not exist”. So, let’s deal with the claim.
There are two variations of this claim. The first is the claim that, quite literally, “God does not exist”. As in, they know for a fact that there is no God or gods. Yet, how can one really know this? Suppose I knew about 10% of everything there is to know. How would I really know that God’s existence is not in the 90% that I do not know? While I do not need to know all things to know that God exists, one must know all things to know that God or gods do not exist. Since only God knows all things, what would such a person claim to be to say that God or gods do not exist? This position seems untenable and the majority of those who call themselves Agnostic or Atheist do not hold to this form of unbelief, called “gnostic atheism”. Gnostic, meaning “knowledge”, and atheism, meaning “no god”. It is the knowledge that there is no God.
The other variation is doubt. It is the position called “agnostic atheism”. Agnostic, meaning “no knowledge”, and atheism, meaning “no god”. This is what the majority of those who call themselves “agnostic” or “atheist” hold to. They will not say that God does not exist, but rather, they doubt His existence. Although it may be possible that God exists, they have reasons for doubting His existence. There are three types of doubt: rational, emotional, or volitional objections to the existence of God. Let us look at each one carefully.
Rational objections are purely intellectual, requiring those who believe that God exists to provide evidence to support their belief, or to “prove” that God exists. This area also deals with alleged contradictions in the Bible, archaeology, science, philosophy, ethics, and phychology. When I ask people why they reject God’s existence, most people profess to reject for rational reasons. They have not been convinced that from an intellectual standpoint that there is enough evidence to demonstrate God's existence.
After I deal with the intellectual barriers to God’s existence and peel back the rational layer, I find that most people start to open up a little bit, and reveal that the real reason why they reject God’s existence is for emotional reasons. This usually comes out as an unanswered prayer, a Christian who was unkind to them, or the hypocrisy of the Church. Many are unwilling to start with emotional objections because emotion, by definition, is often irrational. At least, that is what many of these individuals shared with me.
As I continue to discuss God with unbelievers, I discover that for some, beyond the intellectual and emotional objections to God's existence lies an even deeper layer: volitional. Those with volitional objections reject God’s existence because they do not want God to exist. Even if there was enough evidence to demonstrate existence, and even if the emotional barriers could be overcome, there is an expressed will to reject the existence of God.
While the first two types of objections are legitimate (and must be dealt with), volitional objections are a matter of the will. It is this reason why Adam and Eve rejected God’s command to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3:6). It is the reason why Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for a mere thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15). It is the reason why Lucifer tried to dethrone God, was kicked out of heaven, and became Satan (Isa 14:12-14, Ezek 28:12-18). It is the ultimate reason behind any sin that we commit. That reason is...
Pride.
You read me right. Pride. When you stop to think about it, pride is the ultimate reason for the rejection of the existence of God. It is a willful and deliberate preoccupation with the self. It is about three people: Me, Myself, and I. We think we know better than God, and in so doing, reject Him and His commandments, seeking to join Frank Sinatra and sing “I did it my way!” Pride caused Satan to swell up and attempt to dethrone God. Pride was the reason behind Adam and Eve’s rejection of God’s commandment, seeking to be like God, on their own terms. Pride is why Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus into the hands of His enemies. Pride is the reason why so few of us will admit that we have a sin problem.
Let us repent of our pride, our transgressions before God, and trust in Jesus, who alone can rid us of our attachments to self (Matthew 16:24-26).
Often, I have discussions with people who tell me God does not exist. Last year, on a game I used to play called Runescape, I was in a conversation with someone who told me just that. I asked them why. Then, they asked me why I believe God exists. So, I spent 30 minutes with him discussing the evidence within the universe, the apparent design in biology, freewill, consciousness, transcendental morals, evil, and how the existence of God reasonably makes sense of all this evidence. After we were done talking, he retorted “actually, I really don’t care about God”.
I make a mistake in not allowing the burden of proof to lie where it really belongs, that is, the burden of proof lies upon the person who makes the claim. In this case, the claim is “God does not exist”. So, let’s deal with the claim.
There are two variations of this claim. The first is the claim that, quite literally, “God does not exist”. As in, they know for a fact that there is no God or gods. Yet, how can one really know this? Suppose I knew about 10% of everything there is to know. How would I really know that God’s existence is not in the 90% that I do not know? While I do not need to know all things to know that God exists, one must know all things to know that God or gods do not exist. Since only God knows all things, what would such a person claim to be to say that God or gods do not exist? This position seems untenable and the majority of those who call themselves Agnostic or Atheist do not hold to this form of unbelief, called “gnostic atheism”. Gnostic, meaning “knowledge”, and atheism, meaning “no god”. It is the knowledge that there is no God.
The other variation is doubt. It is the position called “agnostic atheism”. Agnostic, meaning “no knowledge”, and atheism, meaning “no god”. This is what the majority of those who call themselves “agnostic” or “atheist” hold to. They will not say that God does not exist, but rather, they doubt His existence. Although it may be possible that God exists, they have reasons for doubting His existence. There are three types of doubt: rational, emotional, or volitional objections to the existence of God. Let us look at each one carefully.
Rational objections are purely intellectual, requiring those who believe that God exists to provide evidence to support their belief, or to “prove” that God exists. This area also deals with alleged contradictions in the Bible, archaeology, science, philosophy, ethics, and phychology. When I ask people why they reject God’s existence, most people profess to reject for rational reasons. They have not been convinced that from an intellectual standpoint that there is enough evidence to demonstrate God's existence.
After I deal with the intellectual barriers to God’s existence and peel back the rational layer, I find that most people start to open up a little bit, and reveal that the real reason why they reject God’s existence is for emotional reasons. This usually comes out as an unanswered prayer, a Christian who was unkind to them, or the hypocrisy of the Church. Many are unwilling to start with emotional objections because emotion, by definition, is often irrational. At least, that is what many of these individuals shared with me.
As I continue to discuss God with unbelievers, I discover that for some, beyond the intellectual and emotional objections to God's existence lies an even deeper layer: volitional. Those with volitional objections reject God’s existence because they do not want God to exist. Even if there was enough evidence to demonstrate existence, and even if the emotional barriers could be overcome, there is an expressed will to reject the existence of God.
While the first two types of objections are legitimate (and must be dealt with), volitional objections are a matter of the will. It is this reason why Adam and Eve rejected God’s command to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3:6). It is the reason why Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for a mere thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15). It is the reason why Lucifer tried to dethrone God, was kicked out of heaven, and became Satan (Isa 14:12-14, Ezek 28:12-18). It is the ultimate reason behind any sin that we commit. That reason is...
Pride.
You read me right. Pride. When you stop to think about it, pride is the ultimate reason for the rejection of the existence of God. It is a willful and deliberate preoccupation with the self. It is about three people: Me, Myself, and I. We think we know better than God, and in so doing, reject Him and His commandments, seeking to join Frank Sinatra and sing “I did it my way!” Pride caused Satan to swell up and attempt to dethrone God. Pride was the reason behind Adam and Eve’s rejection of God’s commandment, seeking to be like God, on their own terms. Pride is why Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus into the hands of His enemies. Pride is the reason why so few of us will admit that we have a sin problem.
Let us repent of our pride, our transgressions before God, and trust in Jesus, who alone can rid us of our attachments to self (Matthew 16:24-26).