The Moral Consequences of Atheism

Atheism has made a strong comeback in recent years, as it often does after a new generation arises unaware of its past failures and embarrassments. Hitler’s implementation of many aspects of the original Humanist Manifesto, whether conscious or not, pointed to the ethical problems inherent in atheism, and thus atheism retreated, albeit briefly, to regroup. After the rise of baby boomers and the decade of the sixties, atheism spoke up again, with adherents writing books, commenting on ethics, and debating theists. However, Dr. Thomas B. Warren’s debates with Flew and Matson embarrassed the atheistic community by exposing the irrational nature of their position using philosophy and reason. Nevertheless, recent years have seen the rise of another generation and another assault on the existence of God. Nevertheless, David’s words from long ago still ring true, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psa. 14:1a). Unfortunately, despite being rebuffed both by reason and experience throughout the centuries, atheism has added a significant number of followers—enough to warrant significant attention due to a growing impact in society.

In fact, it is this impact on society that makes atheism so dangerous beyond the souls themselves that are lost due to unbelief (2 Th. 1:7-9). Atheism does more than discount God’s existence because to discount God is to distance yourself from all of the ethics and morality established by God. Therefore, atheism had to attempt to concoct a moral philosophy beyond the “survival of the fittest” doctrine of its Darwinian origin myth. Despite all their attempts, all their ethical systems fail tremendously because they are, at their heart, not a moral system but a justification for immorality on some level. Indeed, “They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good…. They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one” (Psa. 14:1b, 3). While insisting on their superior knowledge and insight, the opposite is indeed true. They reject knowledge in order to commit iniquity (Psa. 14:4). However, in many cases, their experiences with the sins of people who believe in God created a barrier to faith that fed their unbelief. They saw the hypocrisy of daily life of many who proclaimed faith, they recognized the multiple contradictions of the religious world, and they felt unloved by some of the people closest to them. Instead of realizing these as the failures of men, they projected them onto the Creator of men. Thus offended, they rejected God and His will and went in search of something else. Atheism, like so many false religions and philosophies, offered a justification for their personal anger and a stroking of their intellectual ego. Its lack of logical consistency and ethical certitude are glossed over in the world of moral equivalence by the claim that it remains intellectually superior, an argument grounded in naturalistic assumptions and definitional sophistry.

Atheism does more than simply argue against God. In its place it offers an exaltation of man as the most superior intellectual being in existence. This lies at the heart of the scientific, political, and social philosophies that have grown up within atheism and explains why our society has gone to war with God. Regardless, “God is with the generation of the righteous” (Psa. 14:5) and “the LORD is his refuge” (Psa. 14:6). God is–by logical necessity, historical evidence, and divine revelation. And there are consequences to believing and acting otherwise (2 Cor. 5:10).