Why They Do Not Believe

“No God”

No Creator

Evolution

Human Suffering

“WE LIVE in a secular society in which God plays no significant part in the lives, thoughts, or actions of men; men know today that they can get along practically, emotionally, and intellectually without reference to God.”

These are the words of a philosopher studying the problem of unbelief, as he was quoted in the book Religion in a Secular Age. Do you agree with him?

If you do, doubtless you think of yourself as an atheist, convinced that God does not exist. Or perhaps you are an agnostic, considering that, well, God may exist or he may not; but since we have no way of knowing, it does not make too much difference. Alternatively, you may be what the Encyclopædia Britannica calls a “practical atheist.” Perhaps you believe in God; but your belief makes no practical difference in your life.

Whatever way you describe yourself, why not pause and think for a moment? If there is a God, and he really does have a purpose for you, is not denying his very existence serious? Would it not be like living in a country and refusing to recognize the existence of the government of that country? Very soon you would be in trouble with the government. And you would not be able to take advantage of any services, protection or rewards that the government provided.

Hence, you need to be sure. And we urge you to consider seriously your own thinking on this matter. If you do not believe in God, why not? Is it a decision that you made on your own? Is it because of your education? Or is it because of the influence of people around you? What are some of the commonest reasons why people do not believe in God?

In the East

If a person lives in the Soviet Union, the most likely reason why he would not believe in God would be that he was educated that way. There is a government policy in that land to discourage religion, and atheism is officially taught in the schools.

If he lives farther east, it could be because of his religious background. Religious background? Yes, because while many Oriental people are deeply religious, often their religions do not teach belief in an Almighty God who is the Creator.

For example, one of the most widespread Eastern religions is Buddhism. According to one source, this religion has affected the thinking of “perhaps one-fourth of all human beings who have lived in the 2,500 years since the Buddha’s death.” That is a lot of people! Of this influential man, we read: “He preached a practical religion devoid of ritual, and he eliminated philosophical speculation, even leaving unsettled the question of God’s existence.” (Italics ours) Hence, while Buddhists in some countries may worship at the shrines of their ancestors, they often do not understand the concept of an Almighty God who created everything.

Some other Oriental religions are similar. Even Hinduism, with its millions of gods and goddesses, is described by the same source in this way: “A man might not believe in God and still call himself a Hindu.”

In the West

If you live in the West, you will certainly understand what is implied by the phrase “Almighty God.” Most religions in the West claim to worship God, and they teach that he created all things. But the West is also in the lead in the movement of modernism and scientific progress. These influences tend to make people look on religion as old-fashioned and encourage them to look to man for the solution to their problems. Hence, many churchgoers are finding conflicts between what they hear at church and what they hear from other sources. The results can be quite surprising.

A recent poll taken in Australia revealed that about a third of the members of the Protestant denominations there—and one in five of the clergymen—have doubts about the existence of God. That situation is not unique to Australia. And if it is true of churchgoers, it is undoubtedly more true of nonchurchgoers.

Perhaps You Have a Personal Reason

Most of those referred to above do not believe in God because of the influence of the society in which they live. But, if you do not believe, you may have a more personal reason. You may have experienced a tragedy or considered the amount of suffering in general in the world. You may have concluded that God could not exist, because if he did, he would have done something about these things.

Or have you, perhaps, made an intellectual decision? Do you feel that, in the light of man’s greatly increased understanding of the universe, and particularly in view of the teaching of evolution, there is no room any more for belief in a Supreme Creator?

Can Evolution Replace Belief in God?

Before Darwin popularized the theory of evolution, most people supposed that there had to be a God, since there was no other way to explain the existence of things. But with acceptance of the theory of evolution, many apparently felt that there was no longer any need for belief in God.

However, if you believe in evolution, you may be interested in the comments that appeared in a recent issue of Harper’s magazine as to what shaped Darwin’s thinking. Was it really based on an objective analysis of living things and of the fossil record? Stephen J. Gould, a professor of biology at Harvard University, is quoted as saying: “Phyletic gradualism was an a priori assumption from the start—it was never ‘seen’ in the rocks; it expressed the cultural and political biases of nineteenth-century liberalism.” In other words, Darwin’s thinking was conditioned by the society in which he lived. Karl Marx is quoted as saying: “It is remarkable how Darwin recognizes among the beasts and plants his English society with its divisions of labor, competition, [and so forth].”

Many scientists today raise serious questions as to the validity of theories set forth in support of evolution. Why, then, is belief in Darwin’s teaching still advocated? The article goes on to say: “There are those who argue that the abandonment of the evolutionary mechanism would inevitably lead to doubts that evolution had occurred at all. That is undoubtedly why Darwin is still defended so stoutly . . . because [his supporters] are materialists.”

Do We Need God Emotionally?

Atheists feel that man can “get along . . . emotionally . . . without reference to God.” Is that so?

The evidence shows that man is religious by nature. All civilizations throughout history have featured some system of worship.

And what happens when people resist what has been described as their “need to believe”? They may turn to the worship of money, power, science, political dogmas or self. Even atheism can become a religion. Psychiatrist Stafford-Clark says of those who argue in favor of atheism: “The passion with which they will defend this . . . is yet further vivid evidence of the emotional necessity of belief.”

How About Intellectually?

Is it not true that men can explain the existence of things without referring to God? They try to. There has been a growing movement to relegate God to the background.

Do you agree with that point of view? If so, reflect for a moment. To what extent is this due to your own thinking? And how much is due to the influence of the “intellectual climate” that exists in the world today?

Philosopher Leslie Dewart, as quoted in the book Religion in a Secular Age, says that “contemporary men . . . are shaped by the scientific culture of the day, as medieval men were shaped by the theological culture of their day.” In the Middle Ages, most people believed in God. That was the kind of society that existed then. Besides, it was often dangerous not to! However, their belief was often unreasoning and superstitious. Sometimes the “theological culture” of those days tended to block the progress of science. Hence, when Galileo came up with his revolutionary discoveries, the religious leaders then tried to make him “recant” (although, in fact, what he had discovered in no way contradicted what the Bible said).

These days, the shoe is on the other foot, as it were. There is almost as much pressure not to believe in God as there used to be to believe in him. Even clergymen abandon parts of the Bible in favor of modern theories such as evolution. Some even reject Bible standards of morality and approve such things as homosexuality and fornication.