Again this Christmas, there have been instances of atheists trying to get nativity scenes, Christmas banners, etc. removed in certain towns. People need to understand (as I often say) that when courts force such items to be removed, they are not enforcing neutrality—because there is no such thing as neutrality.
As the Scripture clearly states, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad” (Matthew 12:30).
When atheists get nativity scenes removed from public places, they do so because they are imposing their religion of “no God” on the culture. A clear example of their real motivation can be see in an article from the UK about famous atheist Richard Dawkins (author of The God Delusion).
In a news item about an interview Dawkins did with famous atheist Christopher Hitchens (who just passed away—we will comment on his death in our weekend web feature News to Note), we read the following headline: “Professor Richard Dawkins makes a festive vow to 'destroy Christianity'”
See the following excerpt from the article:
About half-way through, the Prof gets this in edgeways: 'Do you ever worry that if we win and, so to speak, destroy Christianity, that vacuum would be filled by Islam?'You can read the entire item at this link.So, 'if we win...and destroy Christianity'. True, there's a 'so to speak' in there, but it doesn't do much. Try 'If we win and, so to speak, kill all the Jews' as an alternative. Doesn't really work, does it? And Prof Dawkins can hardly claim that he was misquoted or taken out of context. He was editing the magazine, after all - there's even a picture of him doing so, pen poised masterfully over page proofs.
For all his claims that Christianity has been a brutal force throughout history, I'm sure Prof Dawkins' attitude, revealed here, isn't reciprocated. I don't recall Rowan Williams talking about 'destroying atheism'.
So it's good to know, at last, where Prof Dawkins really stands - and, incidentally, it's not where the gracious, generous-spirited and libertarian Hitchens stands. Hitchens hates totalitarianism. And it's totalitarians who have tried and failed throughout history to 'destroy Christianity'. Dawkins now sees that as a measure of winning. Good luck with that, Richard. And happy Christmas.
What a reminder that Christians need to argue the correct way when dealing with situations in which atheists are trying to remove Christian symbols from the culture. We need to help people understand it is really a war of worldviews (i.e., the Christian worldview vs. the secularist one).
Yes, atheists are not neutral; they are against God!
We need to pray for Richard Dawkins and other atheists.
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken
Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.