Just in time for Christmas: The Atheist 10 Non-Commandments

Just when I'm enjoying a sunny, 51-degree day in Michigan - yes, two days before Christmas, and I'm all about the green and I'll ride my bike and enjoy every minute of it - Rob has to blast through the bliss of my morning with this.

There's so much to say about the idea of an "Atheist 10 Non-Commandments", but first let's just get to list itself. I give it even money whether you spend more time laughing or rolling your eyes. If you get mad, you're taking them too seriously.

1. Be open-minded and be willing to alter your beliefs with new evidence.
2. Strive to understand what is most likely to be true, not to believe what you wish to be true.
3. The scientific method is the most reliable way of understanding the natural world.
4. Every person has the right to control of their body.
5. God is not necessary to be a good person or to live a full and meaningful life.
6. Be mindful of the consequences of all your actions and recognize that you must take responsibility for them.
7. Treat others as you would want them to treat you, and can reasonably expect them to want to be treated. Think about their perspective.
8. We have the responsibility to consider others, including future generations.
9. There is no one right way to live.
10. Leave the world a better place than you found it.

So these are actually "non-commandments", which is the only thing that sort of comes close to making sense here, since if you can't have commands if you there isn't any authority - and they refuse to accept any. (That is not the same thing as not believing in any, quite, but we'll get to that.)

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So if they're not commandments, what are they? The technical name for what we see here would be "dopey platitudes." Some are presented as factual statements. Some almost sound like proverbs. Some are opinions dressed up as information. Some, especially #2, represent advice the atheists themselves should take, but don't. But here's the rub: There's only one they really care about, and that's #9. Their desperate need to live with no moral boundaries whatsoever lead them to blubber out 1-8 and 10. The reason they reject God is because God actually imposes a law of righteousness, and He defines it, and they don't like His definition. But they can't come up against Him so their only recourse is to pretend He doesn't exist. And yes, I mean pretend. Atheists believe in God. Every single one of them does. They will never admit it, of course, and they become furious whenever I say this. But every atheist knows God exists. How do I know that? Simple: Come with me to Romans 1:18-21, and pay particular attention to words I’ve put in bold:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

What we see here is that that God has set the knowledge of Him in the heart of every person He ever created. You are born with the knowledge that God created you. It takes some maturation to understand that information, of course, but it is in you from the moment you’re conceived. It’s the first thing you know, because God programs it into you. It is, as v. 19 says, manifest in you. That being the case, you have to work not to believe in God. It requires a serious effort. You have to fight your core spiritual nature. Note that v. 21 says those who rejected God “became futile in their thoughts.” The word “became” is key. They weren’t always futile in their thoughts. They didn’t start out that way. They had to become that way. And that required the very active task, identified in v. 18, of suppressing the truth. If you just do nothing, your default state of mind is to believe in God because God puts the knowledge of Him in you from the time He creates you. Not believing in God requires active rebellion on your part. It’s something you have to keep working at. Now I’m sure that over time, you can partner with Satan to make it so deeply embedded in your spirit that you become trained to disregard your knowledge of God. But that doesn’t mean the knowledge isn’t there. It just means you’ve gotten really good at disregarding it. That explains why some atheists never stop talking about their atheism, and some get quite angry at the very God they claim doesn’t exist, like Bill Maher recently calling God a “dick” and a “psychotic murderer.” Really, Bill. Why spew such rage at . . . nothing? The truth is, they know perfectly well that God exists. They’ve known since they were conceived. They know God is real and they’re angry at Him, because they don’t want to live in the way He calls them to. They hate His laws. They hate the workings of His Kingdom. They might even have wonderful anointings on their lives, and they hate their anointings, because they come with callings do things they don’t want to do. They might even hate the blessings God releases into their lives because they feel unworthy of them. In general, they hate God because they have an agenda for their lives that is not the same as His, and they are angry with Him for not cooperating with them. So that's what's behind the Atheist 10 Non-Commandments. Hey! Atheists! I know the only one you really care about is #9, but you might want to give some more thought to #2 - and instead of presuming to lecture the point to everyone else, apply it to yourselves.