I recently spoke on Atheism. Here are a few nuggets I picked up along the way that I didn’t share in that message:
New Atheists Aren’t So New
“The new atheists are “new” primarily because they share in common the conviction that the latest advances of scientific discovery and thought make belief in God unnecessary.” And, Haack adds, because they are heavily evangelistic about their faith. The way to deal with their aggressive proselytizing and name-calling is to: “Exude quite confidence in the gospel, not arrogant combativeness towards those who oppose your beliefs.” – Denis Haack, Engaging New Atheists,” Critique vol.4, 7. A helpful piece on how to engage atheists.
Atheism Nor Theism Can Be Proved
Failure to rationally prove the existence of God doesn’t mean that God doesn’t exist; it simply means one failed at a rational argument. Atheism, like Christianity, requires faith. Atheists believe that God does not exist, but they cannot prove it. The real question is which worldview rings true and offers the highest good.
Self-refuting Nature of Natural Selection
Natural selection works on the principle of adaptation, which means that a better human with a better idea about how things came to be will eventually evolve. If that is the case, what faith can we put in Darwin/Dawkins theories about human nature and the existence of God? On the other hand, if we are made in the image of God with reason and a soul, created to relate to God, then we rely not on theories but his self-revelation. For more on this point, see Plantinga’s article, “The Dawkins Confusion