Last modified on December 15, 2022, at 20:35

Essay: God made the heavens and earth. Another atheist abjectly repents on bended knee

"The heavens are telling of the glory of God. And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." (Psalm 19:1 NASB)

"...most every prediction by theorists about planetary formation has been wrong", Science, Vol. 295, 25 January 2002, p. 605.

"Talk about a major embarrassment for planetary scientists. There, blazing away in the late evening sky, are Jupiter and Saturn—the gas giants that account for 93% of the solar system’s planetary mass—and no one has a satisfying explanation of how they were made." Richard A. Kerr, "A Quickie Birth for Jupiters and Saturns," Science, Vol. 298, 29 November 2002, p. 1698.

"It turns out to be surprisingly difficult for planetesimals to accrete mass during even the most gentle collisions." Erik Asphaug, "The Small Planets," Scientific American, Vol. 282, May 2000, p. 54.

So many atheists repenting, Mr. Atheist! The excitement is raging!

See also: Atheism and its retention rate in individuals and Growth of evangelical Christianity in irreligious regions

"God created this planet 6000 years ago and I repent my foolish atheisthood!" - ShabiDOO, atheist and RationalWiki editor, March 29, 2021. See also: Atheism and irrationality

The above quote by RationalWiki editor ShabiDOO was made sarcastically by him. As you can tell, he is a foolish atheist (see: Atheism and foolishness). To this day, he has yet to give a satisfactory explanation on how the earth was formed.

In 2012, a Georgetown University study was published indicating that about 30 percent of those who grow up in an atheist household in the United States remain atheists as adults.[1]

In 2012, a Georgetown University study was published indicating that in the United States only about 30 percent of those who grow up in an atheist household remain atheists as adults.[2] According to Dr. Mark Gray, "of those raised as atheists, 30% are now affiliated with a Protestant denomination, 10% are Catholic, 2% are Jewish, 1% are Mormon, and 1% are Pagan."[3] See also: Atheism and its retention rate in individuals and Atheism and children and Desecularization and aging populations

Theodore Beale wrote about the Pew Research Forum's examination data involving individuals raised as atheists:

“ ...the example of various former atheists such as C.S. Lewis and Anthony Flew indicates that atheism is nothing more than a transitive state for many individuals...

The retention rate is even worse for the full blown atheist population. 60% of those raised atheist abandon atheism; 0.5% of the population was raised atheist and 0.3% of it left atheism. And while 1.4% of the population became atheist, the fact that nearly all of the nation is not atheist means that the non-atheist population has a retention rate of 98.6%, which is nearly 2.5 times better than the atheist retention rate of 40%. Therefore, the perceived rapid growth of atheism is nothing more than an artifact of the atheist population's statistical insignificance. Even the dying Episcopalian church has a better retention rate than atheism...[4]

”

In 2011, the American Spectator declared: "The report estimates about 80,000 new Christians every day, 79,000 new Muslims every day, and 300 fewer atheists every day. These atheists are presumably disproportionately represented in the West, while religion is thriving in the Global South, where charismatic Christianity is exploding."[5]

See also: Global atheism statistics and Growth of evangelical Christianity

More evidence that atheism is childish

A 2012 study by the General Social Survey of the social science research organization NORC at the University of Chicago found that belief in God rises with age, even in atheistic nations.[6]

"When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things." - The Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 13:11 NASB)

The Conversion of St Paul by Nicolas-Bernard Lepicie, 1767.

Behold the power of God, Mr. Atheist! I laugh at the so-called "superior atheist intellects"!

In front of the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

The Tiananmen Square massacre fueled a big rise in Chinese interest in Christianity.[7] See: Growth of Christianity in China

See:

On November 1, 2014, an article in The Economist entitled Cracks in the atheist edifice declared:

“ Officials are untroubled by the clash between the city’s famously freewheeling capitalism and the Communist Party’s ideology, yet still see religion and its symbols as affronts to the party’s atheism...

Yang Fenggang of Purdue University, in Indiana, says the Christian church in China has grown by an average of 10% a year since 1980. He reckons that on current trends there will be 250m Christians by around 2030, making China’s Christian population the largest in the world. Mr. Yang says this speed of growth is similar to that seen in fourth-century Rome just before the conversion of Constantine, which paved the way for Christianity to become the religion of his empire.[8]

”

See: Growth of Christianity in China and Growth of evangelical Christianity in irreligious regions

A message to the atheist who goes by the moniker ShabiDOO

As you can tell, the door to repentance is always open, Mr. ShabiDOO. Claim that you never sin and lose all credibility! See also: Atheism and human rights violations and Atheism and morality and Atheism and moral depravity

It's so obvious! Isn't it, Mr. Atheist? Put this in your atheist pipe and smoke it!

In Japan, researchers found that Japanese children see the world as designed.[9]

Researchers at Oxford University have reported finding children who, when questioned, express their understanding that there is a Creator, without having had any such teaching from parents or teachers about this matter.[10]

According to Dr. Olivera Petrovich who lectures at Oxford University, there is now a “preponderance of scientific evidence” indicating that “children believe in God even when religious teachings are withheld from them”.[11]

In Japan, researchers found that Japanese children see the natural world as designed and purposeful and believe some kind of intelligent being is behind that purpose.[12]

Charles Darwin often had overwhelming thoughts the world was designed

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin wrote in his private notebooks that he was a materialist, which is a type of atheist. In his autobiography Charles Darwin wrote about the diminishment of his religious faith and Darwin stated that he was an agnostic.[13] Darwin's worldview is best described as agnosticism/weak atheism (see: Religious views of Charles Darwin) [14][15]

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy states:

“ In 1885, the Duke of Argyll recounted a conversation he had had with Charles Darwin the year before Darwin's death:

In the course of that conversation I said to Mr. Darwin, with reference to some of his own remarkable works on the Fertilization of Orchids, and upon The Earthworms, and various other observations he made of the wonderful contrivances for certain purposes in nature — I said it was impossible to look at these without seeing that they were the effect and the expression of Mind. I shall never forget Mr. Darwin's answer. He looked at me very hard and said, “Well, that often comes over me with overwhelming force; but at other times,” and he shook his head vaguely, adding, “it seems to go away. ”(Argyll 1885, 244)[16]

”

For more information, please see: Atheists doubting the validity of atheism

Ex-atheists

Alister McGrath

See also: Ex-atheist and Ex-atheist testimonies of Christians

Ex-atheist Lee Strobel

There have been some notable incidences of atheists converting to theism.

Lee Strobel converted from atheism to Christianity and then became a Christian apologist.[17] Before investigating the claims of Christianity, Strobel had obtained an undergraduate degree in journalism and also obtained a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale Law School. Strobel was an award-winning legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, and he won Illinois’ top honors for investigative reporting (which he shared with a team he led) and public service journalism from United Press International.[18] After a nearly a two year investigation of the evidence for Christianity, Strobel became a Christian.[19]

Although Richard Dawkins declared he was an agnostic in 2006 and 2012, in 2002 Richard Dawkins publicly argued for the position of militant atheism and claimed that he will not feel anything after death.[20][21][22] See: Richard Dawkins and agnosticism

C.S. Lewis abandoned his atheism and became a Christian and he was very much influenced by the writings of George MacDonald and G. K. Chesterton.[23] In Surprised by Joy, Lewis says: "In reading Chesterton, as in reading MacDonald, I did not know what I was letting myself in for. A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous."[24]

British philosopher Anthony Flew abandoned atheism and became an deist after as a result of the intelligent design issue. According to the news organization MSNBC, Flew became a deist because he believed a super-intelligence was the only good explanation for the origin of life and the complexity of nature.[25] In 2006, Flew and 12 prominent academics urged that intelligent design be taught in British government schools.[26]

The work of ex-atheist and psychologist Dr. Paul Vitz is often cited in regards to atheism. Dr. Vitz wrote the work Faith of the Fatherless which is a book which touches upon the subject of the causal factors in regards to atheism.

Other ex-atheists

Resources for leaving atheism and becoming a Christian

Two questions for poser atheists pretending to not know that God exists

Question 1: Have you read the article: Do atheists exists?

Question 2: Is there anything more fragile than an atheist's so-called belief that there is no God? Eggs perhaps? For more information, please see: Collapse of atheism in the former Soviet Union

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans that the creation testifies the existence of God, when he wrote:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse..." - Romans 1:19-20 (NKJV)

Plato declared atheism is a disease of the soul before it becomes an error of understanding.[31]

Atheism is the former Soviet Union falls like a rotted tree!

See also: Collapse of atheism in the former Soviet Union

A Soviet propaganda poster disseminated in the Bezbozhnik (Atheist) magazine depicting Jesus being dumped from a wheelbarrow by an industrial worker as well as a smashed church bell; the text advocates Industrialisation Day as an alternative replacement to the Christian Transfiguration Day. see: Militant atheism

The dissolution of the Soviet Union on December 26, 1991 was a watershed event in terms of the decline of leftism and the decline of the secular left (see also: Central and Eastern Europe and desecularization).

According to the University of Cambridge, historically, the "most notable spread of atheism was achieved through the success of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which brought the Marxist-Leninists to power." (see: Atheism and communism).

In 2003, the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard published a paper by Assaf Moghadam entitled A Global Resurgence of Religion? which declared:

“ As the indications leave little doubt, Russia is showing clear signs of a religious resurgence. In fact, all seven criteria by which change in religious behavior and values are measured here confirmed that Russia is experiencing what could be called a religious revival. Since 1970, the nonreligious/atheist population has been on steady decline, from 52% in 1970 to 33% in 2000. Further, the percentage of this population is projected to decrease even further, possibly reaching the 20% mark in 2025. Between 1990 and 1997, belief in God has risen from 35% to a whopping 60%, while belief in the importance of God has climbed to 43% in 1997, up from 25% in 1990. More people have been raised religious in Russia in 1997 (20%) than at the beginning of the decade (18%), and 8.39% more Russians believed religion to be important toward the end of the 1990s, when compared to 1990. “Comfort in Religion” has also sharply increased within this time period, from less than 27% to over 46%. Finally, more and more Russians attend church services more regularly in 1997 than they did in 1990.

In the three Eastern European countries that were included in the WVS survey on belief in God, a drastic rise could be witnessed of respondents who answered this question in the affirmative. In Hungary, the percentage of believers in God jumped from 44% to 58% from 1981 to 1990, even prior to the collapse of the former Soviet Union. In Belarus, the number of people who believe in God nearly doubled over the course of the 1990s, from 36% to 68%, while in Latvia this figure almost quadrupled, from 18% to 67% in the same time period. Similar trends held true when it came to the importance of God, where there was a sharp rise in all three countries.[32]

”

Christianity Today indicated in 2017:

“ “The comeback of religion in a region once dominated by atheist regimes is striking,” states Pew in its latest report. Today, only 14 percent of the region’s population identify as atheists, agnostics, or “nones.” By comparison, 57 percent identify as Orthodox, and another 18 percent as Catholics.

In a massive study based on face-to-face interviews with 25,000 adults in 18 countries, Pew examined how national and religious identities have converged over the decades in Central and Eastern Europe. The result is one of the most thorough accountings of what Orthodox Christians (and their neighbors) believe and do.[33]

”

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Nazworth, Nap (July 11, 2012). "Study: atheists have lowest 'retention rate' compared to religious groups". christianpost.com.
  2. ↑ Study: Atheists Have Lowest 'Retention Rate' Compared to Religious Groups
  3. ↑ Study: Atheists Have Lowest 'Retention Rate' Compared to Religious Groups
  4. ↑ Another atheist myth
  5. ↑ Thriving Christianity
  6. ↑ Belief in God rises with age, even in atheist nations
  7. ↑ Militant atheists caused a massive and explosive growth of Christianity
  8. ↑ Cracks in the atheist edifice, The Economist, November 1, 2014
  9. ↑ Children see the world as designed
  10. ↑ Children as designed.
  11. ↑ Children as designed.
  12. ↑ Children as designed.
  13. ↑ http://www.update.uu.se/~fbendz/library/cd_relig.htm
  14. ↑ Darwin’s real message: have you missed it?
  15. ↑ American Scientist May 1977:323
  16. ↑ Notes to Teleological Arguments for God's Existence
  17. ↑ http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=3884
  18. ↑ http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=3884
  19. ↑ http://www.leestrobel.com/LS_bio.htm
  20. ↑ Mailvox: Richard Dawkins is not an atheist!
  21. ↑ Richard Dawkins Says He's Agnostic -- NOT atheist - video testimony of Richard Dawkins saying he is not an atheist, but an agnostic
  22. ↑
  23. ↑ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n23_v47/ai_17863106
  24. ↑ Lewis, Surprised by Joy op cit.
  25. ↑ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6688917/
  26. ↑ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/newspapers/sunday_times/britain/article1265412.ece?token=null&offset=12
  27. ↑ EVIDENCE FOR JESUS’ RESURRECTION LEADS DISTINGUISHED PHILOSOPHER & ATHEIST, JOHN MONTGOMERY, TO FAITH.
  28. ↑ A N Wilson: Why I believe again
  29. ↑ The Last Crusade: Rip van Con by John C. Wright
  30. ↑ Stephen Colbert reveals why he returned to Catholicism after losing his faith
  31. ↑ Fleming, William (1858 or bef.). The Vocabulary of Philosophy, Mental, Moral and Metaphysical (London and Glasgow: Richard Griffin), 2nd ed., p. 54. Retrieved from Googlebooks archive on May 26, 2015.
  32. ↑ A Global Resurgence of Religion? by Assaf Moghadam, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University
  33. ↑ Pew: Here’s How Badly Soviet Atheism Failed in Europe. Christianity Today, 2017