A while ago, I logged into my Facebook account and came across a post on God updated by a friend. Under that post was a comment posted by his atheistic friend that was dripping with sarcasm and mockery. I was not very surprised because we live in an age where belief in God is viewed as unintelligent and absurd. It is totally written off by many as outdated and old-fashioned. Some have viciously attacked it and went on to call it as the ‘opium’ of humankind. On the other hand, to deny the existence of God is considered to be cool and intelligent and that is why people like Ernest Hemingway say, “all thinking men are atheists.” However, if you turn to the pages of the Bible (Ps. 14:1; 53:1), only fools say in their hearts, “there is no God.”

It is foolishness to deny God’s existence because the indications of God’s existence are not obscure but present in all of creation. The Psalmist looks at the heavens and declares that they reveal the glory of God (Ps. 19:1-2) and he looks at the complexity of the human body and pours out praise to God in utter astonishment (Ps. 139). The Apostle Paul takes it further and says, “God’s invisible attributes are clearly seen” in creation, even “His eternal power and Godhead.” It is so clear that none of us are without excuse (Rom. 1:20).  

Criticizing theists, the famed 19th century atheist, Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “faith means not wanting to know what is true.” The faith he meant here was probably blind faith – a leap into the dark. However, the evidence for the existence of God from nature itself is so compelling and overwhelming that it makes one wonder if it takes more (blind) faith to say there is no God.

Although on the surface, it seems more like an intellectual struggle for the unbeliever to believe in God, the problem is actually moral. The word ‘fool’ mentioned in Ps. 14:1 & Ps. 53:1 does not carry an intellectual meaning but moral. The fool here is morally corrupt and in order to continue in his corruption, he removes God from the equation to completely eliminate all accountability to God. It is a blatant suppression of the truth (Rom. 1:18) for the love of sin. In the midst of this cover-up while professing to be wise, in actuality, they become fools (Rom. 1:22).

Man, since the beginning of time, has tried his best to live apart from God, to be his own god. However, with all his attempts to wipe away the name of God and to escape from accountability, the inescapable truth is that we cannot meaningfully live without Him, and will someday have to give an account to Him, who is the Judge of all Humankind. Therefore, the right thing to do is not to suppress the truth about Him but to acknowledge Him as God, revere Him, give Him the honor and glory that’s due Him, and live under His loving authority.

by Vineeth Kumar