The Atheist Worldview
Over the past year plus, I’ve been researching the worldview of Atheists. I’ve directly asked a number of them questions and have received a lot of answers from the atheists I’ve asked and from atheists who volunteered their answers to me without me asking them. I’ve also read a number of atheist blogs and a number of books and articles written by atheists and have found that in general the answers I received from my direct questions including those answers given to me by those atheists I didn’t directly ask correlate to the statements on the atheist blogs, books and articles I have read.
This Article’s Purpose
A few months ago I wrote the article At times I doubt yet Absolute Truth is always Absolute Truthin which I stated that; I am not willing to admit that I might be wrong in placing my faith in Christ Jesus because I am right in placing my faith in Christ Jesus and that He exists and He is God. In that article I also said that I reject other beliefs (religions such as Atheism, Hinduism, Buddha, Islam, etc.) because I did the honest and true actual deep down heart searched from my soul search to find the absolute truth because I wanted to know the absolute truth and these other beliefs failed the test. In that article too I said that I have found absolute truth so why would I give it up? Why would anyone finding absolute truth give it up for lies?
Since I wrote that article I’ve had many atheists tell me that my faith in Christ Jesus, my Biblical worldview, is not logical and that the beliefs I have are made up of myths and fables mixed in with irrational thinking which goes against science and logical thinking. These atheists hold that their worldview is rational and is based on science, reason and logic where my worldview is not rational, against science and is based on blind faith. Some of these atheists pointed me to links to learn more about their religion of Atheism’s worldview so that I gain more information about their religion of Atheism which I used in part from my reading them to write this article.
Most of the atheists I have encountered say that I am insane because I profess to them that I have a strong faith in Christ Jesus as my savior. These atheist think that faith is a persuasion of the mind to believe in things which are not real or true and that strong faith is to believe in things which you know are for sure are not true yet you believe in them anyway. This article is to present to you and these atheists that my strong faith in Christ Jesus as my savior is founded in the real truth and that there are valid reasons and strong scientifically conclusive evidence confirming the reasons for which I have chosen to place my faith into Christ Jesus as my savior.
This article is to further defend my Biblical worldview stance and my faith in Christ Jesus as being a worldview not only right for me but that having faith in Christ Jesus as our God, our savior being the only begotten Son of God being born of a virgin who lived a perfect life as a man on earth yet was wrongly accused and was punished then put to death on a cross then physically rose from death through which Jesus overcame death for not only Himself but for everyone who places their faith into Him as their savior overcomes death; is the only rational, logical, and scientifically founded worldview there is.
Understanding of Terms and Concepts
Before we go further into this article, I will define some definitions and basic understandings so that we can all have the same understanding of the words and concepts I used within this article in the context that I have used them.
Assumption
5 a : an assuming that something is true b : a fact or statement (as a proposition, axiom, postulate, or notion) taken for granted
Believe
3 : to hold an opinion : think <I believe so>
Suppose
1 a : to lay down tentatively as a hypothesis, assumption, or proposal <suppose a fire broke out> <suppose you bring the salad> b (1) : to hold as an opinion : believe <they supposed they were early> (2) : to think probable or in keeping with the facts <seems reasonable to suppose that he would profit>
Presuppose/Presupposition
1 : to suppose beforehand
2 : to require as an antecedent in logic or fact
Assumptions and presuppositions are the guiding factors in decision making. We each have basic assumptions and presuppositions that we use on a daily basis in which we live out our life. The assumptions and presuppositions we believe in drives the actions we take or don’t take and the reactions we make or don’t make.
According to American writer, “world’s most famous futurologist,” and social theorist, Alvin Toffler, in his seminal work Future Shock, “Every person carries in his head a mental model of the world, a subjective representation of external reality.” This mental model of the world that you and I have is based upon the assumptions and presuppositions we believe in.
The 18th century German philosopher Immanuel Kant, used the German term “Weltanschauung” which means, “a way of looking at the world.” Translated into English, the word Weltanschauung is; worldview. In Critique of Practical Reason Kant said that God is unknowable.
The ApostlePaulin letters(epistles) that he wrote which became a part of the Holy Bible’s New Testament, said that God is knowable. (Acts 17:22-35)
James H. Olthuisis an inter-disciplinary scholar in ethics, hermeneutics, philosophical theology, as well as a theorist and practitioner of psychotherapy of a kind he calls "Relational psychotherapy" stated the following about worldviews: “A worldview (or vision of life) is a framework or set of fundamental beliefs through which we view the world and our calling and future in it. This vision may be so internalized that it goes largely unquestioned; it may be greatly refined through cultural-historical development; it may not be explicitly developed into a systematic conception of life; it may not be theoretically deepened into a philosophy; it may not even be codified into credal form. Nevertheless, this vision is a channel for the ultimate beliefs which give direction and meaning to life. It is the integrative and interpretative framework by which order and disorder are judged, the standard by which reality is managed and pursued. It is the set of hinges on which all our everyday thinking and doing turns.”
Olthuis goes on and says, “Although a vision of life is held only by individuals, it is communal in scope and structure. Since a worldview gives the terms of reference by which the world and our place in it can be structured and illumined, a worldview binds its adherents together into community. Allegiance to a common vision promotes the integration of individuals into a group. Ironically, at times communality of vision not only binds people together, but provides them with the tools and vocabulary to push with more sophistication their own internal differences.”
Science has practical limits as a term in itself therefore it is divided into two different areas within this article: operational (observational) science and historical (origins) science.
Both creationists and evolutionists use Operational (Observational) Science: a systematic approach to understanding that uses observable, testable, repeatable, and falsifiable experimentation to understand how nature commonly behaves. Operational science is the type of science that allows us to understand how DNA codes for proteins in cells. It is the type of science that has allowed us to cure and treat diseases, put a man on the moon, build satellites and telescopes, and make products that are useful to humans. In this article I will use the word, “Scientifically” when referring to operational science.
Historical (Origins) Science: interpreting evidence from past events based on a presupposed philosophical point of view. The past is not directly observable, testable, repeatable, or falsifiable; so interpretations of past events present greater challenges than interpretations involving operational science. Origin science attempts to discover truth by examining reliable eyewitness testimony (if available); and circumstantial evidence, such as pottery, fossils, and canyons. Because the past cannot be observed directly, assumptions greatly affect how origin scientists interpret what they see.
Because it cannot be tested in a laboratory, origins science is weaker than observational science.
Belief
1: a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing
2: something believed ; especially : a tenet or body of tenets held by a group
3: conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence
Faith
3: something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs
The Ultimate Worldview Question?
From the above section where the primary terms used within this article were defined, we know that a worldview is a set of beliefs that underlie and shape all human thought and action. We know that you and I have a worldview that is made up of a framework set of fundamental beliefs built upon the assumptions and presuppositions we use on a daily basis which we use to base the standard of reality we manage and pursue in our everyday thinking and doing.
The unconscious play in worldview formation was defined through the 19th century works of Marx, Freud, Nietzsche among many others. Nietzschewarned us "to be on guard against the hallowed philosopher's myth of a 'pure, will-less, painless, timeless knower,"' and to "beware of the tentacles of such contradictory notions as 'pure reason,' 'absolute knowledge,' 'absolute intelligence.' " in his work On the Genealogy of Morals. Where Marxheld that ideas form a "superstructure" on the more fundamental factors of class interests defined exclusively in economic terms; therefore, rather than generating action, our ideas are actually generated by action. And Freudhas taught us that since we are always comforting ourselves and avoiding facets of our experience we would rather not face, our ideas tend to be rationalizations by which we put a good face on a bad thing.
Olthuis said that, “Marx, Freud and Nietzsche have unmasked for all of us the role that socioeconomic interests, rationalizations, personality types, and the unconscious play in worldview formation. Worldviews - it seems undeniable - depend for validation and correction on both the commitment of faith and all the other modes of human experience.” He goes on to say that worldviews, “are always informed not only by the commitment of faith, but also by tradition, socioeconomic conditions, societal institutions, authorities, science and schooling, mores, family and friends, memory, emotional experience, physio-organic health, intellectual development, volitional temperament, sexuality, etc. All the realities which belong to the social and personal matrix of its confessors nourish and justify a vision of life.”
Whether or not you agree or disagree with the use of these words and terms is up to you. It all goes to the worldview you have and the worldview I have that allows us to view the evidence at hand and yet come to a different conclusion about that evidence. A worldview is a set of beliefs that underline and shape all human thought and action. You have a worldview and I have a worldview and everyone in the world has a worldview. The ultimate question is not whether you have a worldview or not, but whether the worldview you are living by is a good one?
Four Questions that Make a Worldview
There are four questions that ultimately form a worldview. These four questions most people do not even think of asking themselves let alone that they actually think of the answer that they have for each question yet everyone has an answer to these questions. The answer that every person has for each of these questions is often an answer which the person has not actually sat down and thought about fully and may have some doubt about yet it are the answers that the person will stick with as they are the answers that the person has placed their faith into.
If asked directly about their worldview, many people will reply without giving any thought to it that they don’t have a worldview. These people will however answer the four questions which make up their worldview and will often question back why the questions are being asked of them to answer these questions because most people assume that most people think like they do or that people should think like they do. Regardless of if the four questions are asked by someone to answer, each person has in his or her mind their answer to each of the four questions that formulate their worldview.
The four questions that form a worldview are:
1: Where did the universe, life, and mankind come from? (Origin)
2: How do you separate good from evil; right from wrong? (Morality)
3: What is your life's meaning? (Purpose)
4: What is going to happen to you after you die? (Destiny)
Diametrically Opposing Worldview Assumptions and Presuppositions
Two diametrically opposing worldviews are the Biblical worldview and the Atheist worldview. The Christian Biblical worldview (throughout the rest of this article it will be referred to as Biblical worldview) is based on the belief that the Holy Bible (Old and New Testaments) is absolutely factually true, is the word of God which is God’s revelation of Himself to us, and that starting with the Holy Bible is the basis for all knowledge because through the Holy Bible God has revealed to us in the Holy Bible the history of the universe, earth, life, death and also informs us of future events. The Biblical worldview is based on faith in Christ Jesus as God, our savior being the only begotten Son of God being born of a virgin who lived a perfect life as a real living in the flesh man on earth yet was wrongly accused and was wrongly punished then put to a physical death on a cross to then physically rise from death through which Jesus overcame death for not only Himself but for everyone who places their faith into Him as their savior. The Atheist worldview is based on a belief which totally negates the Biblical worldview. The Atheist worldview says that there is no truth in any of the Holy Bible and that it is merely myths and fairytales. The Biblical worldview holds that God is the ultimate authority. The Atheist worldview holds that Mankind is the ultimate authority.
The Atheist worldview answers to the questions below come from the majority view of the atheists viewpoints I found during my research. Noted are any exceptions which may not be inclusive to all atheists answers. The Biblical worldview answers come from my personal relationship with Christ Jesus along with my understanding and study of the Holy Bible and from various Christian websites, and books.
1: Where did the universe, life and mankind come from? (Origin)
The Biblical worldview believes that God created the heavens and earth (the universe) (and all life) in a literal six (24 hour) day creation period. (Genesis 1:1-31) (Exodus 20:8-11)
(In fact, the Biblical worldview holds that the only reason we continue to exist is because God upholds our existence. [Hebrews 1:3])
The Atheist worldview believes that either a Big Bangoccurred approximately 15 billion years ago, or in a Multiverseuniverse meaning there are more than one universe and we are living in one of them, or in an Oscillatory universethat has been expanding and collapsing forever or a combination of all or mix of a number of them.
(Most of the atheists who’ve told me about their belief of where did the universe came from are answering with it has been expanding and collapsing forever.)
The Biblical worldview believes that God created all the life on earth including Mankind on the fifth and sixth days of creation. (Genesis 1:20-27)
(God gave Mankind our first directive; populate the earth and govern it and reign over the lower life forms. [Genesis 1:28])
The Atheist worldview believes that abiogenesiswas the start for life.
(Abiogenesis is a study of how life on Earth could have arisen from inanimate matter through a number of millions of years ago through some random chemical reactions and that the first living things on Earth are thought to be single cell prokaryotes, perhaps evolved from protobiontswhich are systems that are considered to have possibly been the precursors to prokaryotic cellsthat are a group of organismsthat lack a cell nucleus, or any other membrane-bound organellesand are divided into two domains: the bacteriaand the archaea.)
(Note that there may be atheists who do not believe in abiogenesis but the ones who’ve answered me do.)
The Biblical worldview believes that God created Mankind in God’s own image on the sixth day of creation. (Genesis 1:26 - 27)
(Through John 1:3, we can expect that our mind has the capacity to understand aspects of the universe since God made both our mind and the universe.)
(Luke 6:47-49 gives to us a basis for why we should be able to reason however, God also tells us to start with Him in our reasoning; building our thinking on what God has revealed in His Word rather than what worldly [secular] teachings instruct.)
(Proverbs 20:12 gives those with a Biblical worldview a good reason for why our senses are basically reliable; because God made our senses we can expect them to work properly most of the time however not all of the time because of our sin, our not always following the will of God.)
The Atheist worldview believes that Darwinian Evolution(Darwinism) was the cause for Mankind.
(Not to be confused with “evolution” meaning - small, observable changes [natural selection, speciation, adaptation])
(Darwinian Evolution is the belief that all life as we know it today (Mankind included) is not the result of divine intervention created through God, but the work of blind naturalistic processes evolved from the life which started through abiogenesis; i.e., large, unobservable changes [molecules-to-man])
(Note that there may be some atheists who do not believe in Darwinian Evolution but all the ones who’ve I’ve asked do.)
2: How do you separate good from evil; right from wrong? (Morality)
The Biblical worldview believes that God set the standard for Morality for all Mankind as defined through God’s unchanging and logical will described in the Holy Bible.
(2 Timothy 2:13 and Colossians 2:3 reflects God’s internal consistency: all truth is in God and God cannot deny himself; therefore, truth cannot be contradictory.)
(Everyone [including all people who do not believe] is made in God’s image. Being made in God’s image we have the ability to think rationally. Because God’s thinking is rational and although God’s thoughts are superior and higher level than ours, our thoughts are similar in some aspects to God’s yet God’s knowledge is infinite and ours is finite. [Isaiah 55:8-9])
(God told us in Numbers 23:19 that lying is contrary to His nature and in Exodus 20:16 He tells us that we are not to engage in lying.)
(Proverbs 1:7 and Colossians 2:3 tells us that God expects us to base our thinking on His standards because there is no foundation for knowledge and truth apart from the biblical God of creation.)
(Romans 1:19-20 and Romans 2:14-15 tells us that everyone knows in his or her heart of hearts the biblical God’s morality laws (without even reading the Bible and even prior to the Bible) which is why we all know what is good from evil; right from wrong, i.e., that it is wrong to: lie, cheat, murder, be a sexual deviant, be sexually immoral, steal, commit adultery, rape, incest, statutory rape, molestation, partake in pornography, greed, lust, slander, use profane speech, etc.)
The Atheist worldview believes that morality is defined by Mankind and that it changes and can be different for dissimilar cultures and is also selective per person.
(Some atheists say that morality works kind of like a majority vote where some atheists say that it is common sense evolving to help mankind to survive and mainly they most all say that there really isn’t any morality other than what a person feels is right or wrong; good or evil; like a person’s personal choice of favorite color or food.)
3: What is your life’s meaning? (Purpose)
The Biblical worldview believes that our ultimate purpose in life on earth is to make the choice to prepare for our eternal life by accepting God’s only begotten Son, Christ Jesus, as savior from our sins.
(God told us that everything (including you and me) was made for a purpose. [Proverbs 16:4])
(God created us for His pleasure. [Revelation 4:11])
(God’s unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. [Ephesians 1:5])
(We are to choose to become more and more like Christ Jesus and reflect His glory. [2 Corinthians 3:18])
(God invites us to participate in the greatest, largest, most diverse, and most significant cause in history – his kingdom by sharing His love with everyone. [1 Peter 3:15])
(We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. [ Romans 8:28])
(God tells us to test ourselves and to examine our faith to see if it is placed into the correct things. [2 Corinthians 13:5])
(God told us to study and gain knowledge and to not be ignorant of fact and to refuse foolish and ignorant speculations. [Proverbs 4:5, 7; 16:16: 2 Timothy 2:23])
(1 Thessalonians 4:7 tells us that God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.)
(1 Timothy 4:7 - God tells us to have nothing to do with worldly myths and fables and to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness.)
(1 Peter 2:21 – God informs us that our purpose is to use Christ Jesus as an example and to follow in Christ Jesus teachings.)
(Jesus tells us in John 15:9-17 and Luke 10:25-37 that our purpose is to love God with all our heart and to also love one another.)
(We are informed by Jesus that we are to share life with each other and with Him. [Matthew 18:20])
The Atheist worldview believes that purpose in a person’s life is an individual choice; that there is no set purpose for the whole nor for the individual.
4: What is going to happen to you after you die? (Destiny)
The Biblical worldview believes that after a person dies that he or she moves into his or her eternal life of choice that he or she made while he or she was alive; either in the presence of God (Heaven) or not in the presence of God (Hell). (John 5:24) It is an individual choice we each make on where we choose to spend our eternal life. (Matthew 10:28) (Luke 12:5) (2 Peter 2:4) It is the individual personal choice each person (you and me) is responsible for making is whether or not to accept God’s only begotten Son, Christ Jesus our savior. Your personal choice of accepting Christ Jesus as your savior and following His teachings is the choice you make to be with Him eternally in Heaven. (John 3:16) (Philippians 3:20) Your choice of not accepting Christ Jesus as your savior is you saying that you choose to not want to be in Heaven with Him and that you choose to be eternally in Hell after your death on earth. (John 3:36) The Biblical worldview also believes that God wants everyone to choose to be with Him in Heaven. (John 6:40) (Romans 6:23)
The Atheist worldview believes that after a person dies that they totally cease to exist.
The Biblical worldview believes that God is the ultimate authority to which all men and women will stand before God during the judgment of God to be held accountable for the moral decisions and actions made while we were alive after our death. (2 Corinthians 5:10) When rejecting God, we make ourselves the final authority in matters of morality, and there is no basis for consistent morality applied to everyone. As Christians following Christ Jesus, all basis of morality is dictated by God and His Word. But following the moral guidelines the Bible gives is not done solely out of fear although, certainly, there is a recognition of God’s judgment in all who follow Christ Jesus. Rather, people tend to act morally when they understand why morals exist, have a relationship with the Foundation behind them as defined by God, and realize that absolute morality exists to protect us, not to restrict us. For example, followers of Christ Jesus do not avoid murdering someone just because we fear God’s judgment, but also because the Holy Bible shows us why all human lives are valuable and precious, and why murder is truly wrong (and not just “undesirable” or something done in “poor taste”). (Psalms 9:7-10) (Ecclesiastes 12:14) (Isaiah 66:16) (Matthew 12:36) (James 2:13) (James 3:1) (2 Peter 3:7) (Romans 1:18) (Romans 2:5)
The Atheist worldview believes that Mankind is the ultimate authority and that non-existence occurs after death and that there is no judgment after death for immoral behaviors which a person does during their lifetime.
Diametrically Opposing Worldviews in Summary
Neither the Biblical worldview of creation nor the Atheist worldview of origin (all inclusive, universe, earth and life) is directly observable, testable, repeatable, or falsifiable. Each worldview is however based on certain philosophical assumptions about how the universe, earth and how life began. The Atheist worldview assumes that there was no God involved in the becoming into existence of the universe, earth and all life. The Biblical worldview assumes that there was a God who created everything in the universe including the earth and all life.
Diametrically Opposing Worldview Assumptions and Presuppositions in Summary
Atheist Worldview – Mankind Decides Truth because Mankind is the ultimate authority.
The Atheist worldview followers place their faith into a worldview with an understanding that is based upon multiple and constantly changing proclamations over time: the way the universe, earth and life came into existence; life and mankind’s hypotheses of origin, changing morals, and lack of specific purpose per person and per social order.
Biblical Worldview – The God of all creation is the ultimate authority and God’s Word is absolute truth.
The Biblical worldview followers place their faith into a worldview with an understanding that is based upon the unchanging God of all creation as given to mankind in the divinely inspired revelation of God through His giving to us the Word of God, the Holy Bible: complete understanding of who created the universe, earth, life and mankind; a foundational non changing standard of morals with a specific purpose per person and per social order.
1: Where did the universe, life and mankind come from? (Origin)
Atheist Worldview – Human Assumptions
Biblical Worldview – Assumes God Created Everything
2: How do you separate good from evil; right from wrong? (Morality)
Atheist Worldview – Mankind Decides
Biblical Worldview – God Decided for Mankind
3: What is your life’s meaning? (Purpose)
Atheist Worldview – Mankind Individual Choice.
Biblical Worldview – God given purpose for Mankind to prepare for our eternal life.
4: What is going to happen to you after you die? (Destiny)
Atheist Worldview – Every one totally ceases to exist.
Biblical Worldview – God judges each person individually in lieu of the choices you and I made on earth and sends us to our ultimate destination so to spend our eternal life.
Diametrically Opposing Worldviews in Brief
The Atheist worldview believes that Mankind is the ultimate authority and decides truth.
The Biblical worldview believes that God is the ultimate authority over Mankind and His Word is absolute truth for Mankind to follow.
Evidence Upholding Diametrically Opposing Worldviews
With the Atheist worldview and the Biblical worldview being such diametrically opposing worldviews, most people actually think that there is a separate set of evidence for each of them; a set of evidence for the Atheist worldview and a different set of evidence for the Biblical worldview. The fact is however, that the evidence for both the Atheist worldview and the Biblical worldview is absolutely the exact same evidence. Yes, it is the exact same evidence used for both the Atheist and Biblical worldviews; the absolutely exact same evidence. It is the exact same evidence because you and I live on in the same universe and on the same earth, you and I are both living among the same abundance of life, we have the same fossil records, the same canyons, the exact same stars, the exact same rocks, and the list goes on, and on, and on including the same Holy Bible… all because we all have the exact same evidence.
We not only have the exact same evidence, we have the exact same timeframe for which we encounter all of the evidence; the present. You and I live in the present. You and I do not live in the past nor do we live in the future. We all live in the present. Your and my view of the universe happens in the present. Your and my viewing the stars and galaxies happens in the present. Your and my view of the earth happens in the present. You and I experience The Grand Canyon in the present when we visit it. If you or I were to find and look at fossils, it would exist in the present. Everything that you and I encounter we encounter in the present. For example, when I use my 9.25” telescope to look at the moon which goes around the earth we live on and planets which are in our solar system and stars off in the distance, I’m doing it in the present and there are no tags on the moon or the planets nor on the stars which tell me how old they are. Another example is when I go to a museum and look at fossils there, I’m doing it in the present and the fossils are there in the present with me and the other people at the museum. When someone digs up a fossil, that person doing the digging did it in the present and the fossil that the person found was found in and exists in the present and there was no tag or inscription on the fossil when it was found which told its age on it.
With the exact same evidence and with the evidence being all in the present, often we find that the evidence is of a unique nature, meaning that it is one of a kind and can never be reproduced. Take for example the universe, our earth, and the first life on earth are all unique because we cannot recreate in a laboratory any one of these because each of these have already happened and they happened in the past and we are never going to be able to duplicate any them as a first. With each of them happening in the past, we cannot go back in time and examine them nor can we know for fact anything about what the conditions were back then.
For instance if someone were to now in the present create life in a laboratory, that would not by any means 100% prove as fact that the first life actually came about by the means in which the scientist designed his or her experiment to create life in a laboratory however would give some credence to the methods and materials used to create life in a laboratory as a possibility of how the life came about. The reason for this is because again, we live in the present and we cannot go into the past to observe what the conditions were in the past when these unique evidences (universe, our earth, and the first life) happened. So if anyone were to recreate anyone or all of these unique pieces of evidence in a laboratory does not give proof to that what we know today in the present happened in the past. It only gives proof that under the planning, design, direction, conditions and methods used in the present that the creation of whatever was created was created in the present. Having someone design the methods and materials together to create something like one of these unique pieces of evidence would confirm the Biblical worldview that purpose, design and planning is involved in everything which exists in the past, today, and in the future.
Another example of evidence with a unique nature is the Holy Bible being the only true infallible Word of God informing us that His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus was indeed born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, suffered and died on a cross, then rose from death and into an eternal body in which He then ascended into Heaven. We cannot do an experiment in a laboratory to find out if what is written in it is the true infallible Word of God. We can however with investigation into the Holy Bible as a historical piece of evidence confirm its origin and the accuracy of its current text compared to historical copies using scientific methods. Although this does not prove that it is the Holy Word of God, it does give confirmation to the accuracy of the text we have within the Holy Bible we have today in the present and that of the earliest copies of it.
Thus starting from two opposite presuppositions yet considering at the exact same evidence (the universe, earth, life, death, and everything else), the explanations of the history of the universe, earth, life, death, and everything else are very different and directly opposing per the two worldviews of the Atheist following the Atheist worldview and the disciple of Christ Jesus following the Biblical worldview. Therefore the argument is not over the body of evidence because the whole body of evidence is exactly the same for all worldviews; it is just the different way in which those within their own worldview comprehend the facts. The argument therefore, is over the way the evidence we have should be interpreted. This means that there is no middle ground between the Atheist worldview and the Biblical worldview in that having diametrically opposing worldviews of how to comprehend the facts are indeed diametrically opposing without any overlapping elements.
A Sampling of the Body of Evidence
The Holy Bible
The Holy Bible including both Old Testament and New Testamentis at the heart of the body of evidence for both the Atheist worldview and the Biblical worldview. The Biblical worldview believes that the Holy Bible is the Word of God and the Atheist worldview believes it is not.
Atheist Worldview of the Holy Bible
The Atheist worldview about the Holy Bible believes that it is merely a book of myths, fables, and stories which have no relevance to the past, present, or the future and by no way was it inspired by God nor is any of it of any value whatsoever. The Atheist worldview believes that the Holy Bible is full of errors from it being copied over and over for so many years and that through the copy process that it is simply a worthless bogus book of fairytale stories full of contradictions.
Biblical Worldview of the Holy Bible
The Biblical worldview of the Holy Bible believes that it is the inspired Word of God who created everything and that everything within the Holy Bible is the absolute truth and without contradiction. The Biblical worldview believes that the Holy Bible was written by man, as inspired by God to do so and with what to write and that God let the ~40 writers individual use their own styles of writing it but inspired in them what to write. The Biblical worldview believes that the Holy Bible contains a number of different kinds of literature: historical narrative, poetry, parable, epistles (teaching letters), and prophecy. The Biblical worldview believes when a passage of Scripture is clearly historical, then we must remember that its purpose is to describe things that actually happened. If a passage is poetic, then we should expect figurative language. The Biblical worldview knows that it is essential to always read the passages around a verse to get the context of what is being said. It is important to know who the is writer addressing—believers or nonbelievers, young or old, obedient or disobedient to understand what is being said. The Biblical worldview realizes that what topic is being addressed in this passage is a key to understanding the passage. The Biblical worldview looks to find what the unifying theme of this particular book of the Bible is so to help understand it better. The Biblical worldview looks to the nearby verses to help explain the verse just read. The Biblical worldview expects scientifically supporting evidence for the Holy Bible and the Biblical worldview since the Holy Bible records the true, historical eyewitness account of God.
The Biblical worldview believes that the Holy Bible is not just a book about salvation and morality; it is a book of history. This history encompasses biology, geology, anthropology, astronomy, etc. The Bible is not a science textbook as such (these change every year, after all!), but it does reveal the true history of the universe, enabling us to build the big picture of history in regard to biology, geology, etc., so the evidence of the present can be correctly interpreted.
Scientifically, the Holy Bible has been confirmed over and over again since ~1407 B.C when the Old Testament was first started and the ~2 thousand years for the New Testament being completed. There’s solid proof of the Bible’s authenticity and accuracy and History and Science and Excavations have confirmed it again and again. The Qumran texts (a.k.a. the Dead Sea Scrolls) that were found in 1947 and the following years have given very strong testimony to the reliability of the Old Testament (OT). These texts have dated to two centuries or more before the time of Christ Jesus. About 100 of these documents are copies of the OT and some of the books were represented by several copies. Since the Dead Sea Scrolls were written, thousands of copies of the OT have been made and yet there are only slight variations (copyist errors, apparent inconsistencies, etc.). The effects are insignificant and what was found in the Qumran caves is an excellent confirmation of what we have today as the Holy Bible. The OT has time and again been supported by archaeological discoveries, i.e., Jericho, the Hittites, Hazor (mentioned in Joshua 11:10), Pontius Pilate, and David.
Scientifically, the New Testament has stronger manuscript support than any other classical literature from Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Caesar and Tacitus. Presently more than 5,000 copies of Greek manuscripts of the New Testament are in existence and around 20,000 more translations in languages like Latin, Coptic, and Syriac. Originally written in Greek, the earliest manuscript fragments can be traced back to within one hundred years after Christ’s death and resurrection. With accumulation of fragments within two centuries of Christ’s death and resurrection, there are enough one can piece most of the New Testament together from them. In contrast, there are only seven manuscript copies of Plato’s Dialogues with a 1,300 year gap between the earliest 8th century A.D. copy and the original 5th century B.C. copy. Faring better than Plato but still far behind the New Testament, homer’s Iliad has only 650 copies with a 1,000 year gap between the earliest 2nd century A.D. copy and the 8th century B.C. original. The New Testament is by far the stronger supported manuscript of any classical literature.
The Universe and Earth
The Universe we live in and the earth we live on are shared by people with the Atheist worldview, Biblical worldview as well as by people with many other worldviews. Physicists have calculated that if there was the slightest variance within how the universe developed, life would have been impossible in our universe and that our universe is finely and precisely tuned for us to live here.
Atheist worldview of the Universe and life within it:
Many others exist but a couple of the most prevalent ideas within the Atheist worldview about the fine tuning that the universe has for life are:
1) We live within one universe of a Multiuniverse where the universe we live in just happens to be one which has the precise fine tuning needed for life to start and for us to live.
2) We live within a universe which is in constant flux cycles which has a bang of expansion then a contraction which have been going on forever and we are living within one of the cycles where the precise fine tuning needed for life to start and for us to live exists.
Biblical worldview of the universe and life within it:
The Biblical worldview holds that God created the universe and the only reason we continue to exist is because God upholds our existence. (Genesis 1:1) (Hebrews 1:3) Scientifically, this Biblical worldview belief is confirmed by the laws of physics and by our existence living within our universe on the planet earth. You can think of the laws of physics as part of God’s invisible qualities.
Expanding Universe
Most astronomers today believe that the universe is expanding. In the 1920s astronomers discovered that virtually all clusters of galaxies appear to be moving away from all other clusters which indicates that the entire universe is expanding. The natural result of physics that Einstein discovered, general relativity, states that the universe is a natural result.
Atheist worldview of the Universe expanding:
It was first believed within the Atheist worldview that the universe was eternal and unchanging (not expanding nor collapsing) and constant.
Today however, the majority Atheist worldview of the universe expanding includes but is not limited to the beliefs that: the big bang occurring at a point in the past from which the entire universe was put into motion expanding greater in size OR the universe is in constant flux cycles which has a bang of expansion then a contraction which have been going on forever and we live in a time between cycles which is currently expanding prior to a collapse.
Biblical worldview of the Universe expanding:
The Biblical worldview goes by what is stated within the Holy Bible’s Old Testament (Isaiah 40:22) which teaches us that God stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in; which suggests that the universe has actually increased in size since its creation. Scientifically, this Biblical worldview belief is confirmed by redshifts in nearly all galaxies and the Hubble Law which states that distant galaxies show greater redshifts than nearby galaxies.
The Existence of Comets and the age of the Universe
Comets are balls of ice and dirt which orbit the sun and are often in highly centric orbits. For most of their time, Comets are moving slowly near the point in their orbit that is the farthest away from the sun. Then as their orbit brings them closer to the sun, their speed increases and they slingshot around the sun and are moving at their fastest speed when they are at the closest point. During these points is when many comets develop a “tail” which is a stream of vaporized material which extends away from the comet. A comet’s tail always points away from the sun and their tail is an indication that comets do not last forever because with each pass around the sun, a comet is losing material. A comet gets smaller and smaller with each pass around the sun. It has been estimated average timespan that a typical comet (how large the comet was in the first place and its orbit shape are assumptions in this estimate) could only orbit the sun for about 100,000 years before it completely runs out of material.
Atheist worldview of Comets:
The Atheist worldview of an “Oort Cloud” compensates for the continued existence of comets over the ~14.5 billion years in which atheists believe the universe is in its age. The Oort cloud is thought to comprise two separate regions: a spherical outer Oort cloud and a disc-shaped inner Oort cloud, or Hills cloud. Although no confirmed direct observations of the Oort cloud have been made, astronomers believe that one or both regions of the Oort cloud is the source of all comets.[4]
Biblical worldview of Comets:
Scientifically, the existence of comets within the universe confirms the Biblical worldview that the age of the universe is somewhere between 6 and 10 thousand years old.
Age of the Universe and Earth
The age of the universe including the age of the earth are at the heart of many argument over who is right and who is wrong. The Atheist worldview holds that the universe is about 14.5 billion years old and that the earth is about 4.5 billion years old. The Biblical worldview holds that the age of the earth is about six to ten thousand years old based upon God creating everything in six literal 24 hour days (Exodus 20:11) and genealogies recorded in Scripture. Neither those within the Atheist worldview nor those within the Biblical worldview can go back in time and actually prove that their worldview is correct when it comes to the age of the universe and earth. The Biblical worldview holds that God was there and did it yet the Atheist worldview says that God wasn’t there and didn’t.
Atheist worldview of the age of the universe:
The Atheist worldview assumption that the speed of light has been the same speed it is today from the beginning of the universe up to and including today has led many atheists to hold that the Biblical worldview of the age of the universe and earth are wrong because the vast distances between us and the most distant galaxies with the current speed of light places the universe at the age of about 14.5 billion years. Using the speed of light at today’s rate of speed however lends itself to what is called, The Horizon Problem which is a serious light time-travel problem. The Horizon Problem is that there has not been enough time in ~14.5 billion years for light to get from A to B (where the universe has expanded from a singularity from point A to B which are now widely separated) to get to the extremely uniform temperature at great distances which exist at great distances – beyond the farthest known galaxies. The Atheist worldview does have a number of assumptions around this problem with most popular one being called “inflation.” The “inflationary” model has the universe having two expansion rates; a normal rate and a fast rate. They believe that the universe begins with the “normal” rate which is in itself quite rapid yet is slow by comparison to the inflation phase where the universe expands much more rapidly. At a later time then, they believe that the universe goes back to the normal rate. This Atheist worldview of the inflationary model is believed to have happened early on, long before stars and galaxies form and thus is believed to have solved the Horizon Problem.
Biblical worldview of the age of the universe:
The Holy Bible informs us that God can do anything within logical reason. Being the Almighty Powerful God of all Creation, God could have used a supernatural means to get the light here from the most distant galaxies within a few thousand years or even sooner.
Scientifically, Einstein tells us that time can flow at different rates under different circumstances. Under the right conditions, light from the most distant galaxies could have arrived at Earth in very short amounts of time. Or it could be like the passenger side mirror which has written on it, “Objects in mirror are closer than what they appear.” With this scientific information in mind, God could have used several different natural mechanisms to get the starlight here in thousands of years.
Atheist worldview of the age of the earth:
The Atheist worldview of the earth being about 4.5 billion years old is largely based on the rock layers found in canyons (which are believed to have been created over millions of years of erosion) and based on the theory behind radiometric dating methods being applied to various items (rocks, fossils, etc.), these findings are then interpreted by origin scientists.
Biblical worldview of the age of the earth:
The Biblical worldview holds that the age of the earth is about six to ten thousand years old based upon God creating everything in six literal 24 hour days (Exodus 20:11) and genealogies recorded in (Genesis 5, 11) first starting with the first man God created, Adam. The Biblical worldview believes in a massive flood that covered the whole earth. Noah’s Flood was a global, year-long, global catastrophe. Such a global catastrophe would have left a massive amount of geological evidence, more than any event before or since. It would have produced vast sedimentary deposits, burying billions of land, air, and sea creatures along with much of the vegetation. It would have done so on the entire planet as it was a global flood. As the waters receded with tremendous power from the continents, they would have eroded many of the sediments laid down in the first half of the Flood and would have re-deposited them in other places.
Scientifically, the geological features of the earth today are exactly what we should expect to result from such a complex, year-long, destructive event as Noah’s Flood which was global in its nature. Also, an incredible find of fossils we find are of shallow marine organisms, like corals and shellfish—and sometimes we find those even in very high sedimentary layers, even on top of Mount Everest!
The Origin of Mankind
You exist today in the present (including your living relatives and many other people now in the present and all of those people who lived in the past including your ancestors) which is an absolute truth which tells us that your life had its origin yet between the Atheist worldview and the Biblical worldview the separation between which worldview is correct comes up over and over again.
Atheist worldview of Mankind’s Origin:
The Atheist worldview believes that abiogenesis was the start for life. The Atheist worldview believes that Darwinian Evolution (Darwinism) was the cause for Mankind. How there became both male and female within Mankind the Atheist worldview believes that: The variety of life cycles is very great. It is not simply a matter of being sexual or asexual. There are many intermediate stages. A gradual origin, with each step favored by natural selection, is possible (Kondrashov 1997). The earliest steps involve single-celled organisms exchanging genetic information; they need not be distinct sexes. Males and females most emphatically would not evolve independently. Sex, by definition, depends on both male and female acting together. As sex evolved, there would have been some incompatibilities causing sterility (just as there are today), but these would affect individuals, not whole populations, and the genes that cause such incompatibility would rapidly be selected against. Many hypotheses have been proposed for the evolutionary advantage of sex (Barton and Charlesworth 1998) .[5]
Biblical worldview of Mankind’s Origin:
The Biblical worldview believes that God created all the life on earth including Mankind on the fifth and sixth days of creation. (Genesis 1:20-27) Specifically pertaining to the creation of the first man the Holy Bible says that, the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7) As for how the first woman came into being, the Holy Bible says that, the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man. (Genesis 2:21,22)
Scientifically, a human rib taken out of someone will grow backwithin two to three months as long as its periosteumis left intact.
Atheist worldview of Mankind:
The Atheist worldview via Darwinism used to believe that there were multiple races of mankind “by later thinkers who would interpret Darwin’s theory to imply that races had been evolved at different times or stages.”[2] Darwin’s concept of the evolution of man was that the so-called “races” were not distinct species. Darwin took man down to the level of the animal. Man was no special creation; he was just a more evolved animal form. Darwin wrote, “But the most weighty of all the arguments against treating the races of man as distinct species, is that they graduate into each other, independently in many cases, as far as we can judge, of their having intercrossed . . . . This diversity of judgment does not prove that the races ought not to be ranked as species, but it shows that they graduate into each other, and that it is hardly possible to discover clear distinctive characters between them.”[3] Today however, the Human Genome Project shows that all Mankind have common ancestors.
Biblical worldview of Mankind
The Biblical worldview believes that God created Adam and Eve (the first man and woman) and that everyone (including you and me) is a relative to Adam and Eve. Different people groups with distinguishing characteristics came through the splitting up of the human population causing isolate groups from each other as a result of The Tower of Babel, as recorded in Genesis 11:1-9 provides the historical basis for the formation of such people groups. According to the Bible’s history, only one biological race exists.
Scientifically, The Human Genome Project came to the same conclusion that only one race of Mankind exists which confirms what the Holy Bible has said all along for thousands of years, that Mankind has a set of common relatives whose names in the Holy Bible are Adam and Eve.
A Person’s Worldview in Crisis
Sometimes a person finds himself or herself in a dilemma. The worldview that he or she holds as truth has become invalid due to new evidence or other findings that were not known when the person first formulated their worldview. Worldview crises are so deep and pervasive and the fear of losing one's moorings is so strong that many people and groups retrench themselves in their views and deny reality rather than face the consequences. Sometimes reality pushes through anyway, and one is forced to abandon the familiar confines of his or her worldview. Then an existential crisis erupts.[1]
One example of a person’s worldview being in crisis is when the person finds himself or herself following and adhering to the beliefs of a different worldview than the worldview in which he or she believes that he or she follows, i.e., an atheist thinking that there is a possibility of life after death; an atheist making moral judgments that someone is good, or evil when only the Biblical worldview has foundational morals defined for good, and evil; someone who says that he or she is a Christian yet is intentionally not following the foundational morals that God has defined and placed upon his or her heart and habitually doing things on purpose against the teaching of Christ Jesus; an atheist choosing to give their life up to save someone from death that they do not even know when it is a Biblical worldview commandment from God for us to do (1 John 3:16).
Yes, not everyone actually adheres to their stated worldview because not everyone actually thinks about what makes up their worldview nor even that they have a worldview that they live their life by. There are atheists who live more of a Biblical worldview than many people who say that they have a Biblical worldview. Per the assumptions and presuppositions which are the basis of the Atheist worldview however, there can be no rational and logical reason for a true atheist to live a moral life nor for that matter is there any basis for an atheist to even be able to have rational and logical thought because of their belief in abiogenesis (some random chemical reactions) as the starting point for life.
The existential crisis eruption is due to the person whose worldview is in dilemma must make a choice to move away from the false worldview which is being held onto through selfishness and move into the worldview which is true. This is by far not an easy task to do by any means. Due to the person’s familiarity to their false old worldview which includes yet is not limited to, friends, family, hobbies, addictions, job, lifestyle, etc. in which the person may need to give up some if not all of to move into the true worldview which will free them into eternal peace. Speaking from personal experience in changing my having to go through a worldview changing of my own, it is tough to give up friends who have been friends for many years and a lifestyle which I had grown accustom to. The upside however is, that instead of giving up my friends, I helped many of them see the true worldview too. My the lifestyle I have today is so much more enjoyable than what I had with my old worldview because I have the perfect love of Christ Jesus to keep my loneliness from ever coming back and I have the future of an eternal life with God after my death on this earth. Also, I know too that everything works out to the good for all of those who have their faith in God although I may never see it with my own eyes while I’m alive here on earth.
The Atheist Worldview is in a Great Crisis
The Biblical worldview being solidly and foundationally built upon the Holy Word of God is the only worldview which is absolutely true, holds rationally to its teachings, is logical to what is taught within it and is upheld over and over again through scientific evidence confirming it. The Biblical worldview is also the object of theft by the religion of Atheism (and all other religions) in that all other worldviews steal “logical responses” from the Biblical worldview to support their non-Biblical worldview.
The Atheist worldview is in a great crisis because it has no foundational support for what it says it believes in. The Atheist worldview holds as truth that it is based on science, logic, and reason. In fact, the Atheist worldview has no basis to prove that it is based on science, logic, and reason without actually giving evidence that the Biblical worldview is true because only the Biblical worldview by its own definition is founded on science, logic and reason as set forth within the Holy Bible. Both the Atheist worldview and the Biblical worldview cannot both be true because that would be a contradiction breaking the law of non-contradiction therefore, the Atheist worldview is false and the Biblical worldview is true.
The Atheist worldview says that the basis for their viewpoints about the universe are based in science yet in fact, why would the universe and all in it be at all understandable if the Atheist worldview is true? The Biblical worldview expects that the universe is understandable, operating in a uniform, logical fashion since it was created by a logical God who constantly upholds it. The Atheist worldview says it all (universe, earth, life and everything else) came about by chance so how can it be at all understandable let alone use logical scientific methods. Take for example the Law of Gravity F=GMm/r(squared). If the Biblical worldview of creation were not true – if the universe had no designer – then why would gravity obey such a simple, logical formula or any formula at all? The Law of Gravity suggests a law-giver and it is consistent with creation which confirms the Biblical worldview as true.
The Atheist worldview says that it looks to science for truth however, apart from the Biblical worldview could we trust in the methods of science? Science requires an orderly, logical universe that can be understood by our minds to be able to understand it. Apart from a Biblical worldview based on the Holy Bible, how could we trust that our senses reliably inform us about the universe? Without the Biblical God, what basis would we have for even expecting that the universe is orderly and understandable? The Atheist worldview holds that the universe, earth and life all came about by mere random chance and without purpose. Many of the laws of nature can be derived mathematically from other laws and many laws of nature actually depend upon other laws which depend upon other laws and so on. Ultimately, there must be a foundational set of principles which exists which for no other reason than that God has so decreed. Ultimately the fundamental laws of nature require a law-giver. Only the Biblical worldview has an ultimate law-giver; the God who created everything as described to us in the Holy Bible.
The Atheist worldview says that the people who believe in the Biblical worldview should not lie and deceive people with the talk that God created everything so to not confuse the children however, what basis is this judgment by the atheists being made against those who follow Christ Jesus are lying? God made human beings in His image according to the Biblical worldview and He told us that we are responsible to answer to Him for our actions; and God told us that lying is contrary to His nature and that we are not to lie (Numbers 23:19: Exodus 20:16). For an atheist to tell anyone that something is a lie and deceitful goes against their worldview of morality and purpose being a personal choice caused by chemical reactions being just an evolved animal acting on our chemical reactions. Only the Biblical worldview has the foundational moral absolutes set forth as we are informed of them within the Holy Bible.
The Atheist worldview cannot say that stalking someone and then murdering that person is wrong because morality within the Atheist worldview is mere subjective opinions with no binding power whatsoever with morality and purpose a personal choice. Would you put a cat in jail for chasing then catching, killing and eating a mouse? For example, Ted Bundy was a serial killer active between 1973 and 1978 who eventually confessed to over 30 murders, although the actual total of victims remains unknown. Bundy typically would bludgeon his victims, then strangle them to death; decapitating at least a dozen of his victims with a hacksaw. He also engaged in rape and necrophilia (intercourse with a corpse). Another example, David Berkowitz’s (a.k.a. Son of Sam) crimes terrorized New York City from July 1976 until his arrest in August 1977 leaving 6 people killed and 7 others wounded. The Atheist worldview can only say that these two people selected a purpose for themselves which doesn’t fit with a purpose that they would choose and that the morality they picked was not one that they would pick. With Jeffery Dahmer who was a serial killer and sex offender murdering 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991 whose murders were particularly gruesome, involving rape, torture, dismemberment, necrophilia and cannibalism, the Atheist worldview can merely say that his choice of purpose and morals were of poor taste. Only the Biblical worldview being consistent with the teachings taught within the Holy Bible has the foundation for morality and rational reasoning. God who is sovereign over the entire universe including everything within it, has revealed His standards of morality for which we are to live by within His Word written in the Holy Bible has told us that it stalking, murder and cannibalism are not only morally wrong but are evil actions that we are not to do
Ted Bundy, David Berkowitz and Jeffery Dahmer were each caught, had a trial, found guilty and were sentenced for the crimes they committed. For the Atheist worldview these people were held accountable for their actions through the judicial system of the United States where their crimes were committed and through their sentencing they paid for their crimes. Yet the Atheist worldview has no accountability nor means of payment for crimes for those people who were or are never caught yet have made a personal choice to commit a crime. Only the Biblical worldview believes in an ultimate authority (God who created everything) to which we all (including you and me) will answer for the actions that we took and did not take when we should have taken action.
The Atheist worldview cannot say that morality is common sense because there is no rational foundation for the atheist to base morality within their worldview. The Biblical worldview is based upon a universal standard for behavior because God is sovereign over all creation (the universe, earth, live, you, me, everything). God has in effect, “hard-wired” His Law into each one of our minds because God knew you and I would need it. Only the Biblical worldview can explain; 1. Why there is an absolute moral code. 2. Why everyone knows about the absolute moral code (common sense). The Atheist worldview cannot explain either and therefore atheists have to “steal” morality from the Biblical worldview.
In the Atheist worldview an atheist cannot say that it is wrong to murder because I don’t want to be murdered. In the Atheist worldview it could actually be okay to murder someone because it could improve the atheist’s chances of personal survival – like a dog-eat-dog world the top dog doesn’t mind if it kills something even another dog in its fight for survival. The Biblical worldview by contrast, right from Matthew 7:12) the golden rule. We are all made in God’s image and thus should treat everyone with respect and dignity. Yet in the Atheist worldview being just evolved chemicals why should we care about anyone else? I mean, think about it, you can’t get upset with vinegar being mixed with baking power for reacting can you? . Only the Biblical worldview has a foundational set of morals defined that we should all live by so to keep us from harm and an ultimate law giver to whom we each will answer to after our death.
The Atheist worldview cannot account for personal responsibility nor accountability for a person’s actions and morality without stealing morality from the Biblical worldview. Only the Biblical worldview has specifically defined within it not just specific moral responsibilities for you and me and everyone else to follow, it also has specifically defined within it personal moral accountability for everyone including you and me and tells us when, how and why the moral standards are applicable to us. Now, do not take what you just read incorrectly out of context because I did not say that atheists cannot be moral and that all who say they are a Christian are moral. What I said is that within the Atheist worldview, a set of absolute morals cannot exist for anyone to follow and when there is not a set of absolute morals for anyone to follow there is no morality nor accountability for anyone because within a true Atheist worldview morality and purpose are personal choices and there is no ultimate authority for which to govern the choices that you and I make in an Atheist worldview to absolutely hold us accountable for the choices we made and make. Only the Biblical worldview of Christianity is there the set of absolute moral laws with an ultimate moral law giver and Judge to hold us accountable for the choices we made and make during our lifetime even if we got away without getting caught during our life on earth. The Biblical worldview is also the only worldview having a gift of redemption in which we can be forgiven for the moral injustices we have committed. By you and I honestly confessing our immoral and selfish acts and truly accepting Christ Jesus as our savior, we can be forgiven of our sins (immoral acts and selfish deeds, etc.) and become pardoned so that we can stand at our judgment before God and be allowed to go into Heaven to live our eternal life. Note that I did not say that taking Christ Jesus as your savior is a free ticket to commit immoral acts and still get to be eternally in Heaven. Honestly taking Christ Jesus as your savior and accepting Christ Jesus into your heart is the first step which does save you from going to Hell and if you have honestly accepted Christ Jesus you will not want to sin because it will become against your nature to want to do so.
Having the Wrong Worldview is Futile to Your Life
A worldview is a powerful motive for everybody’s actions. Your worldview gives motive for your actions. My worldview gives motive for my actions (it is why I am writing this article for you to read). Yes I admit that I am biased and I know that you are also biased. We are each biased to our worldviews. The difference between an Atheist worldview and my Biblical worldview is that my Biblical worldview is the only view which is consistent in being rationally and logically sound following what it actually teaches. The Biblical worldview (a true Christian who follows Christ Jesus as savior and God) does not rest on one argument alone or one sole piece of evidence; it is supported by historical evidence, philosophical arguments, experiential validation, and internal coherence. The Holy Bible, as a divinely-inspired eyewitness account of history, is better able to explain the evidence (the universe, age of the earth, fossils, genetic variation, people groups, rock layers, etc.) in a more logical and consistent way than Atheist worldview interpretations based on presuppositions of naturalism, Darwinism and materialism.
Choosing to believe in lies is not a wise thing to do. Giving up absolute truth for lies is not a wise thing to do. If anyone has honestly done a truthful search and has found absolute truth, they will not give it up because absolute truth is Christ Jesus. Anything other than Christ Jesus is illogical and a lie. The Biblical worldview (a true Christian who follows Christ Jesus as savior and God) is the only worldview with a solid foundation, the God who created everything. The Biblical worldview is based on real events that happened in real places in real times and it fits the facts we have here in the present. It is the only worldview which rationally and logically answers the questions that flow out from the issues and experiences we face in our everyday lives and makes sense of these experiences and gives to us guidance for how we should live. All other worldviews have no foundation at all and as such are irrational, illogical, against reason and are ironically having to steal logic, reason and rational thinking from the Biblical worldview to argue against the Biblical worldview… and we all know that stealing is wrong because we don’t want anything we have stolen from us, don’t we! So when you contract me with rational logic remember that you too are confirming the Biblical worldview.
A worldview is a set of beliefs that underline and shape all human thought and action. You have a worldview and I have a worldview and everyone in the world has a worldview. The ultimate question is not whether you have a worldview or not, but whether the worldview you are living by is a good one or not? Having the wrong worldview is not only futile to your life on earth, it is ultimately futile to your eternal life. Your choice of worldview today determines where you spend your eternal life.
Are you willing to live with a worldview which is full of doubt, contradiction and inconsistency within it? I’m not. I have the Biblical worldview as my worldview because it has been, is and always will be rational, logical, non-contradictory, consistent and scientifically confirmed because it is based on absolute truth within the perfect love of God through His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus. It is your choice to make whether or not to change your worldview. I suggest that you make a wise choice and go with a worldview which is based on absolute truth, is rational, logical, non-contradictory, consistent and scientifically confirmed before it’s too late.
Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
James 4:14
“Two things awe me most, the starry sky above me and the moral law within me.”
Immanuel Kant
“He [God] counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them.”
Psalms 147:4
“God, when I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!”
Psalms 8:3-9
“From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.”
Romans 1:20
“For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. Even Gentiles [non Jewish people], who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.”
Romans 2:13-16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16
What does it mean, “Faith in Christ Jesus?”
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References
Biblical Worldview
http://www.saddleback.com/aboutsaddleback/livingonpurpose/index.html
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/ee/what-is-science
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v2/n3/science-or-the-bible
http://www.answersingenesis.org
http://www.gospel-culture.org.uk/olthuis.htm
http://www.biblequery.org/
http://www.orthodoxwiki.org
“Taking back Astronomy” Jason Lisle, 2006
“The Ultimate Proof of Creation” Jason Lisle, 2009
“Establishing a Worldview” Ravi Zacharias, 2008
“The Real Face of Atheism” Ravi Zacharias, 2004
Secular
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://iadr.confex.com/iadr/2007orleans/techprogram/abstract_91633.htm
Atheist Worldview
http://www.talkorigins.org
http://pandasthumb.org
http://richarddawkins.net
http://dailyatheist.net
http://hoverfrog.wordpress.com
http://www.squidoo.com/Atheist-Issues
http://friendlyatheist.com
http://ahowlingwolf.blogspot.com
“The God Delusion” Richard Dawkins, 2006
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Footnotes
[1] http://www.gospel-culture.org.uk/olthuis.htm
[2] Wikipedia, “The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex”
[3] Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man and Selection With Relation to Sex (New York: The Modern Library), p. 536
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oort_Cloud
[5] http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CB/CB350.html
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