A Meaningless Atheist Convention

An atheist website is publicizing a major atheist convention in Australia this year. It states:

The 2010 Global Atheist Convention Melbourne, Australia 12–14 March at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition . . . . The 2010 Global Atheist Convention will be the biggest ever atheist event in Australia’s history. This is your chance to hear world-class atheist speakers, and meet Australian and internationally acclaimed atheists, skeptics, humanists, rationalists and academics in one of Australia’s most vibrant and exciting cities. The bigger we can make this convention, the stronger the signal it will send to Australia's religious and political institutions that atheism and secularism are forces to be reckoned with.

One of the speakers is described this way:

A lifelong atheist, Phillip Adams started writing on the joys of disbelief, the merits of the meaningless universe and the sins of religion half a century ago. [Emphasis added.]

Imagine—listening to a meaningless talk at a meaningless conference held on a meaningless planet in a meaningless universe! Now, that would be an uplifting conference!

From their worldview, wouldn’t atheists see this meeting as a meaningless waste of time? Of course, they would claim they have some purpose and meaning—but it would be all constructed subjectively according to their own determinations! All because they shake their fist at God—but why?

The Scripture tells us they “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1). Basically it comes down to the fact that they don’t want to have to answer to anyone—they want to set their own rules. They generally want to abort babies if they want or make marriage whatever they want to make it to be (or reject it altogether). They want to do what is “right” in their own eyes! Thus, a Creator who owns them, to whom they owe their existence, and against whom they have rebelled, is anathema to them!

It baffles the mind as to why these atheists even bother to try to aggressively convert people to their meaningless religion—after all, what’s the point? The only reason they would even bother is if they are engaged in a spiritual battle. Otherwise they wouldn’t care. They know in their hearts there is a God, and they are deliberately suppressing that, as the Scripture so clearly tells us.

We certainly need to pray for them—they are heading for an eternity separated from God. Really, God will give them what they want—separation from our Creator for eternity. I pray they will repent before a Holy God and receive the free gift of salvation. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Atheist Blogger—Deliberately Suppressing the Truth?

I’m sure most of you realize that you often can’t trust what atheists say. After all, if there is no absolute authority, there is no basis for right or wrong (just one’s own opinion). Thus, atheists can say whatever they want—even if it is not the truth.

A good example appeared on a popular atheist website today (i.e., popular with the group of atheists who follow this atheist professor from Minnesota). This atheist (who continually exaggerates, twists the truth, tells outright untruths, and mocks Christians—often using vile language) commented on creationist Kent Hovind (who is in jail for tax issues), stating,

Kent Hovind is still putting up bizarre dialogs on his CSE blogs. He’s been having conversations with God, dead Egyptian priests, and Christian saints, who all reassure him about how clever and smart and good he is . . . .

Regardless of Kent Hovind’s legal issues, we have to say that this atheist is falsely maligning him—as he does me and other Christians on a regular basis. He is either deliberately lying about Kent Hovind’s blog postings, or he’s so blinded by his hatred of Christians that he can’t understand the simple literary technique that Hovind is using.

Basically, Hovind created an imaginary dialogue with Potipherah (Genesis 41:45, 50) to point out that modern America has the same problem the Egyptians had when Joseph oversaw the years of plenty and famine. It’s pretty obvious this post is designed to be understood as metaphor. The same is so for the posting with the dialogue between God, Stephen (Christian saint), and Hovind. Any Christian reading Kent Hovind’s post would understand what he’s doing with these writings. The atheist blogger would also have to say that C.S. Lewis talked with the devil and his fellow demons in order for Lewis to write the Screwtape Letters, if he follows the same logic! Is this atheist that ignorant of literary techniques or just deliberating suppressing the truth?

Michigan Paper and Already Gone

We continue to be greatly encouraged by the feedback from the AiG best seller Already Gone. Here is a news item from a Michigan paper relating to the book:

The next generation is calling it quits when it comes to traditional church attendance, and it’s not just happening on the fringe—it’s occurring in main-line denominations as well, says a local church, pointing to national studies.

St. Luke Church in Haslett is holding an open discussion on how the church, Sunday School and families can more effectively pass on the faith to coming generations.

This 90-minute workshop will be facilitated by Nate Burmeister, director of Fellowship and Youth at St. Luke, on Thursday evening, Jan. 14 from 7–8:30 p.m., in classroom 203.

The general public is invited to attend this free forum.

The church points to a scientific study that reveals a startling feedback gathered during 20,000 phone calls to young people in conjunction with a separate written survey of 1,000 individuals between age of 20–29 who previously attended worship services on a regular basis, but have since quit going to church.

In a powerful book entitled, “Already Gone,” author Ken Ham and human behavior analyst C. Britt Beemer discuss trends and remedies that should be dealt with now, before another generation is lost.

You can read the entire article here.

The book Already Gone is available from our online bookstore.

Devotion

So Soon

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night comes, when no man can work.” John 9:4

The more we now think of how fast we approach our night, the less likely we will say before our death, “So soon, Lord? Is my chance to serve you over so soon?”

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying, Ken