by Doug Horchak on August 24, 2012

I agree with the atheists. That sounds like a crazy statement from someone who claims to be a Christian—but it’s true! But before you think I’m losing my mind, hear me out.

Atheism’s rise was highlighted a few years ago when two of the world’s foremost atheists published books defending their claim that God doesn’t exist. Richard Dawkins (who wrote the book The God Delusion) and the late Christopher Hitchens (whose final book was titled God Is Not Great) shared their best arguments to discredit the concept of God and what they called “the poison of religion.”

So, let me share a few of their arguments:

Comparing the God of Israel to all “gods” through history. In the mind of the atheist, all “gods” take on the same value! Whether Zeus or Thor, Vulcan or Vishnu, or even YHWH—there is no difference in the eyes of an atheist. They compare written mythology to the biblical descriptions of the God of Israel and conclude that all gods are humanly contrived deities!

Historic acts done in the “name” of God. Whether it be the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades or the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and Africa, atheists cite these examples of violence as the hypocrisy of religion and, thus, the “hypocrisy of God.” 

Believing most Christians represent God. The atheist assumes that religion represents God. In fact, the subtitle of Hitchens’ book is “How Religion Poisons Everything.” They conclude that much of religion has added to the violence, killing and depravity of man—and that this hypocrisy makes God’s existence false!

Showing evidence of paganism in Christianity. Many atheists cite the fact that much of the doctrine, ceremony and worship of Christianity and other religions have origins in pagan practices that are condemned by the God of the Bible! The origins of Christmas and Easter are often cited as coming from Babylon, Egypt and Greece and not the divine work of the God of the Bible! Thus, they believe Christianity hypocritically borrows from paganism!

The fact is, some of what they claim is actually true and makes sense!  

Consider this: 

• The “many” gods in varied cultures through history are often violent and bizarre and do not represent the true God!
• Many of the practices and historic acts of Christians in the Middle East, Europe, America and around the world are confusing and hypocritical—to say the least.
• The contradictory “interpretations” of the Bible by so many denominations, sects and groups is mind-boggling—so many differing beliefs but (they claim) all from the Bible!
• Many of the customs in the church of Rome in the second and third centuries were borrowed from the Greek and pagan practices of the pre-Christian Roman world! It is true that—whether one talks about the customs of Christmas and Easter or even the weekly Sunday worship practiced by most in the Christian world—they are not taught or found in the Bible!

So, where does that leave you?

The truth of the matter is, we live in a world that, because of deception and misrepresentation, has convinced some people they should not believe in God!

Someone—somewhere—has been doing a good job of discrediting the true concept of God, Church and religion.

Interestingly, that is exactly what Christ prophesied! That this “someone” will have “deceived the whole world.”

While there is a real God that created the world and mankind for a divine purpose; nonetheless, “Satan”—the present god of this world—has done a masterful job through the ages of deceiving many intelligent people into believing that God does not exist!

… Because “God”—through the actions and beliefs of billions of deceived people and religions—has been totally misrepresented!

For Life, Hope & Truth, I’m Doug Horchak.